When the Phone Rings
by apiegohome
Summary: A manipulative stalker is turning Roxas' life into a living nightmare. Axel is the only one who can save him. AkuRoku
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This fic is loosely based off a true story an older friend of mine told me. Years ago a man was stalking her and making her life hell, but because Queensland in Australia only introduced stalking laws in 1993 the police were unable to do anything until he actually attempted breaking into her house. Scary stuff.

I want this story to make you feel nervous, to have you on the edge of your seat and guessing till the end. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter One.**

Roxas couldn't remember the exact day when the phone calls had first begun, but in hindsight he wished he had. Maybe he'd been receiving them for a lot longer than he thought, possibly filing away the strange, silent calls away in the same category as bothersome telemarketers or broken connections.

Not one to ignore a ringing telephone he'd always picked up the receiver, said 'hello' a couple of times, heard nothing and hung up. But when his home phone had begun ringing randomly at three in the morning, and his constant litanies of hello were going unanswered, he'd uneasily started paying attention.

There was breathing.

There was always someone breathing on the other end, and no matter what Roxas said, the other person would never say a word. The calls had bored him, then annoyed him, and now, unfortunately, they were unnerving him. He'd tried sounding indifferent, and then becoming increasingly frustrated with the persistent caller – demanding to know what the person wanted, or if they'd had their fun could they now kindly fuck off? Anything! But the caller never made a sound except to continue breathing steadily into his ear.

He'd taken to unplugging his home phone from the wall at nights, thinking that that would be the end of it, but that had only given him roughly 24 hours of respite until he started getting the silent calls to his mobile, too. How the fuck had they gotten his mobile number? At this stage he was more angry than worried and just stopped answering any calls from numbers he didn't recognise. And that was another thing – it was never the same number. Sometimes private, sometimes a number, but always the same, damn thing. It was bullshit, and Roxas still firmly believed that the asshole on the other end would eventually get tired of their stupid little machinations.

If he'd thought ignoring the calls would be the way to make them stop he'd terribly underestimated this person's tenacity. He began to nervously consider getting the police involved when he woke up to 73 missed calls – _73_ , and felt a lead weight drop into the bottom of his stomach when finally, one day, he picked up the receiver on his work phone to hear that same, endless silence.

Whoever this person was, they were subtly sending Roxas a message. They knew his mobile number, they knew where he lived, and now they knew where he worked.

His nerves were becoming frayed. Every time his iPhone vibrated, every time his office phone rang out, his heart would beat faster in his chest, and he felt lightheaded and anxious. This person was getting to him, and he didn't know how to make it stop.

And now, as he stood next to his mailbox holding a small, neatly folded piece of paper between his stiff, trembling fingers, he knew that this was no longer something he could fervently wish away.

His eyes traced over the neatly typed letters again as his body reacted almost violently. All he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears, and his heart slammed against his ribcage painfully. His lungs seized on what minute oxygen he managed to suck in between his teeth as his brain caught up and the words fully registered.

' _Have you checked the back door?'_

His eyes snapped so quickly to the right he felt a sharp stab of pain in his neck as he looked up the small set of stairs leading up to the front door of his house. The house stood quietly, dark and silent in the evening's suppressive heat. Nothing looked out of place from where he stood, but as the first bead of sweat clinging to his dampened hair made its way down the left side of his forehead and slowly down his cheek, he knew his feet would take him no further.

Six little words and he was a mess. This was it. He couldn't recall ever being so frightened in his entire life. Unconsciously he crushed the small piece of paper tightly in his fist. Why were they doing this? _What did they want?_

 _Vmmmmmmm….vmmmmmmm…_

Roxas' feet nearly left the ground, his body jerking as his iPhone began vibrating ominously in his pocket. Still clutching at the small ball of paper crammed tightly in his fist, he reached into his suit pants and pulled out the phone.

It was a private number.

A growl of frustration tore past his lips as he angrily punched the red decline button. His relief was short-lived as he warily scanned his surroundings, slowly taking in the neatly trimmed box hedges his neighbour was so proud of, the beat up old truck parked in the driveway directly across from his, and the bitumen road in between, radiating the day's long heat. He no longer thought it paranoid to assume this asshole was probably watching him from somewhere close by, waiting to see how their note had been handled, and relishing in his unease and dread.

His hand clenched tightly around the phone still in his hand as he looked back up towards his quietly, waiting house. Sense reassured him that the back door was locked. He always locked up properly every morning before leaving for work, but the fear told him that something as simple as a door lock would do nothing in deterring a stalker.

Taking a deep breath of the night's stifling, warm air, he brushed the sweat off his forehead before unlocking his phone and opening his contacts. He wasn't sure of how to handle this situation anymore, and it was probably about time he confided in someone about it.

 _In case I go missing,_ his brain supplied unhelpfully.

His thumb stopped on Axel's name and tapped the little blue phone icon. If there was one person who would know what to do, Axel would be the one.

-0-

"Jesus, Rox, how long has this been going on for?"

Roxas avoided meeting his friend's worried expression and stared wearily down the neck of the beer he was holding. His hands clasped around the bottle, feeling the cool condensation chill his skin.

"I can't remember when the calls first began, but it's gotta be about three weeks since I started taking notice." He looked up into Axel's eyes, the frustration and concern clearly mirrored there.

"I thought it was just some dickhead playing games, but now I'm not so sure." He took a long swig from his beer, the bottle making a small popping sound as it separated from his lips.

Axel watched him carefully, his mouth pulled into a hard, firm line. "I think you need to go to the police. Don't wait Roxas, whoever this guy is, he knows what he's doing, and I don't want to see it get worse."

They were sitting in Roxas' living room. The tv was on, but neither of them were paying any attention to it. Axel had come over within ten minutes of Roxas calling him, and hadn't been home from work yet himself. Axel had since thrown off his suit coat and loosened his tie. His riot of spiked, red hair cascaded around his shoulders.

Roxas had explained the situation to his friend in minute detail before they had both cautiously checked the entirety of the house together. Nothing had been out of place. All the doors and windows were still securely locked, and no traces of attempted entry were evident anywhere.

His mind finally at ease, Roxas had pushed Axel onto the couch before ordering a couple of pizzas and pulling cold beers from the fridge.

"Well whoever it is, they've really succeeded in freaking me out," he sighed, sliding his feet out of his shoes. "I might knock off early tomorrow and go put in a statement."

Axel nodded in agreement. "I think that'd be a good idea." He set his half-finished beer down as he made to grab for another slice of pizza. "Cowards do this kind of shit, Rox. Once he realises the fuzz is involved he'll back right off."

"You _really_ think it's a guy?" Roxas asked, a bit apprehensively. He felt better thinking some overenthusiastic girl was infatuated with him, rather than an overpowering, calculating, male psychopath.

"Do you think anyone you work with would be capable of this?" Axel murmured. "Are you in line for a promotion or something?" He took a bite of his pizza. "Money brings out the psycho in the best of people."

Roxas thought this unlikely, but paranoia was telling him nothing was out of the question. He'd only been working at his current job for roughly four months, but if that was enough time to become good friends with Axel, then it was enough time to make enemies…

"Now that I think about it, there's this guy called Riku who works in marketing. I always notice him staring at me." His head thumped back against the couch as he stared up at the ceiling. "And another guy called Zexion…he's always asking for overtime. He seems like he really needs the money. Maybe I'm ruining his chances for a pay rise."

Axel's shoulder lightly bumped his own. "You'll make yourself sick if you start suspecting everyone around you. At least getting the police involved is a step in the right direction." He gestured towards the crumpled note sitting on the table in front of them. Roxas had smoothed it back out. "I'd say that's no good for fingerprints now, especially since I've handled it, too, but give it to them anyway. It's still evidence."

Roxas looked down again at the beer in his hand. The liquid inside was now warm and stale, the heat from his hands having ruined it. "That's easy for you to say…" he mumbled. _God, how could he trust anyone?_

Axel beside him said nothing; deciding instead to slide his arm around Roxas' shoulders, his hand gently carding through Roxas' unruly hair. Roxas shivered lightly as Axel's warmth pressed into him. He could feel his heart beat singing blood faster through his veins. It wasn't the fear this time.

Axel slowly pulled Roxas' head slightly to the side, pressing it against his own. "We're gonna get through this, Rox, I promise." His long fingers massaged briefly against Roxas' scalp before pulling away. Determined green eyes locked with worried blue. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Roxas swallowed heavily at the intensity he could see in Axel's eyes. His friend's promise sounded too much like something a lover would say…

Axel sighed reluctantly. "I better get going, but the shops are open late tomorrow. I'll go with you after work to buy some deadbolts if you want?" He stood, draining the last dregs of his beer. "Would be good to look at installing an alarm system, too."

"Yeah, definitely, I'm gonna try and knock off early anyhow," Roxas replied. He stood too, and began walking Axel to the door.

Axel opened the front door and scrutinised the quiet street outside. It was just after nine, and the neighbourhood lay silent. It was still quite warm, a faint breeze stirring the tallest trees. The porch stairs and the crude wooden fence beyond that which separated the front yard from the sidewalk was splashed with bare, artificial light.

He stepped out and located his shoes, then clapped a firm hand on Roxas' shoulder. "I'll let you know what time I finish tomorrow. Try and get some sleep."

"Yeah…" Roxas answered resignedly. His teeth started chewing his inner cheek, the stiflingly warm breeze prickling at his skin.

He watched Axel walk down the short path towards the street, unlock his car and jump in. The engine roared into life before the car smoothly pulled away from the curb. Roxas flinched as Axel had the audacity to beep the horn a couple of times in farewell, but he couldn't help the smile that immediately pulled at his lips.

He'd only moved to Hollow Bastion four months ago, landing a job with a large company who looked after web design and marketing. He'd been Axel's replacement, as the older man was something of a freelance web designer and was moving on to better opportunities. The outrageous hair had gotten his attention initially, but when Axel had turned around to greet him and shaken his hand, it was like a fire had been ignited inside of him. _Where have you been all my life?_ He'd thought, Axel's smile so full of wicked promise, and his vivid green eyes had made Roxas go weak at the knees.

They had only worked together for a week before Roxas had taken over Axel's position, but they had become fast friends. Roxas felt like he'd known Axel for years. He couldn't imagine his life without him. Unfortunately, the man of Roxas' dreams was as straight as a fucking arrow – well as far as he knew anyway. Axel had brought along a petite woman named Xion to his going away party, who had seemed too quiet and restrained for the fiery man in Roxas' opinion. Xion had proven him wrong however as the night had continued, holding her liquor exceedingly well and swearing like a sailor every chance she got.

Axel had told him that he and Xion had since broken up, but it still didn't change the fact that Roxas couldn't have him. He wished he had the guts to attempt seducing him anyway, but feared losing his friendship. It didn't help when Axel got overly affectionate with him. There was only so much he'd be able to take of that before wanting to take it further.

Returning to the living room, Roxas grabbed up the pizza boxes and empty beer bottles, and dumped the whole lot in the sink. He'd worry about cleaning up properly tomorrow when he wasn't so exhausted. Flicking the tv off and lights as we went, he systematically pulled every window and door to make sure they were firmly shut and locked before going to shower. He didn't need to think twice about unplugging the home phone from the wall. He'd be damned if that asshole was getting him out of bed at three in the morning again. Really, he could have the landline disconnected altogether…everyone called his mobile these days.

It was only in the warm, steamy confines of his bathroom that he realised that his phone hadn't rung as much as usual after calling Axel to come around. He watched the soap suds travel in slow rivulets down through the hairs on his legs as he hoped to God that didn't mean something worse was going to happen. Had the stalker seen Axel arrive? Had he still been watching when Axel left?

He shut off the water sharply, listening intently in the silence. His nerves jangled painfully as he strained to hear any odd sounds outside the bathroom door.

He heard nothing.

With a deep breath he tentatively stepped out of the shower and pulled his towel around him.

Drying himself, he scrubbed the towel through his hair quickly before lobbing it into the bathtub and making his way to his bedroom. He'd checked everything and knew the house was secure. He tried to convince himself that if anyone tried to break in while he slept he'd be able to wake up in time and defend himself.

It was only when he got under the covers he realised he hadn't brushed his teeth, but as his eyelids dropped shut and his body began sinking into oblivion, he decided fairly quickly that it could wait for tomorrow, too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two.**

Roxas' hand swung wildly at his bedside table, his fingers fumbling for the 'snooze' control on his phone alarm. With that out of the way he rolled over and curled up again, snuggling into his pillow. It wasn't exactly cold, but Roxas was definitely a stay in bed kind of person. Getting up any time before ten in the morning was an ungodly hour in his books, so seven am was pure blasphemy. A necessary evil if he was going to be on time for work.

His alarm began chiming again five minutes later and he begrudgingly threw back his covers. His toes pressing lightly into the cream carpet, Roxas scrubbed at his hair and stood up, heading straight for the bathroom.

It was only while brushing his teeth did his sleep addled brain start telling him that something wasn't right. With his toothbrush still hanging out of his mouth, Roxas stopped and listened. From somewhere inside the house he could hear a very faint _tunking_ sound…like something gently making contact with another surface.

 _Tunk…tunk…tunk…_

Spitting the toothpaste out as fast as he could, Roxas re-entered his room and pulled a pair of sweatpants on before all but wreathing his wardrobe doors off their hinges. Taking a moment, he easily found what he was looking for – an old, beat up cricket bat.

Steeling himself, Roxas grasped the bat firmly within two hands and rested the blade against his shoulder. He took a deep breath before silently making his way further into the house.

 _Tunk…_

He inched along the hallway, his arms tense from gripping the bat so hard. His palms already felt slick with sweat. It was ridiculous how unbelievably shaken up he was…but after the note last night it wouldn't hurt to be too careful. He could finally hear the strange noise more clearly as he made his way into the kitchen. His eyes searched everywhere – drawn to anywhere someone might hide or attempt to leap out at him.

The noise grew louder still as he set his shoulders and looked around the corner into the laundry. He stared for a moment in confusion, eyebrows furrowed.

The laundry door that lead out into the back yard was open.

Right on cue, the door was blown by a larger gust of wind and swung open freely, leaving the doorway clear and very noticeably _unlocked._ The impact it made against the outside wall felt almost like a physical blow. Carelessly dropping his defences, Roxas moved over towards the doorway, his hands dropping the bat and immediately sliding along the joinery. There were no signs of forced entry at all.

He knew he'd locked it – there was no way he would have been so careless! His throat felt constricted and his hand gripped tight around the wooden edge.

Someone had gotten inside. He'd slept peacefully, naively believing that he was safe, and someone – no this _psycho_ had gotten into his house without so much as a sound. The door hadn't even been forced.

 _Ring…ring. Ring…ring._

The phone ringing in the kitchen slammed its way into Roxas' thoughts. He threw himself backwards against the wall, one hand clamped over his mouth as a wave of nausea crashed over him.

They'd gotten into the house and they had _plugged the phone back in._

This was obscene. Getting a hold of his unsettled stomach, Roxas' fingers desperately scrabbled at the bat's worn handle.

Fuck this bullshit. This guy was messing with the wrong person. He held the bat strongly between confident fingers, and fought the dread that was threatening to overpower him. Stomping back into the kitchen he snatched the cordless phone out of its cradle and slammed it against his ear.

"Listen you fucker," he grated out, "I don't know what you're trying to achieve here, but it's not working – and when I find out who you are, you're gonna be sorry you ever started this shit!"

"Whoa! Rox! It's me – Axel!"

Axel's panicked words knocked the wind right out of him. "Axel…shit, I'm sorry," he groaned. "I thought you were that creepo…no one rings this early in the morning."

Axel laughed nervously. "Yeah, I tried your mobile first and you weren't answering so I was getting worried…"

Roxas leaned against the wall in the kitchen, still reluctant to have his back appear vulnerable. He rubbed at his tired eyes. "I just got up to find the laundry door open."

He heard Axel inhale sharply. "Are you serious? Someone got _inside?_ "

"Yeah I think so…could you stay on the phone with me while I check the house?" He tried to tell himself he wasn't scared, but in the half-light hours of the early morning, the corners of rooms, and the concealing quality of his household furniture were transforming themselves into monsters.

"Sure, Roxas, I won't hang up until you tell me to," Axel murmured warmly, his words helping Roxas find the strength and conviction he so sorely needed. Even though he was kilometres away, Roxas felt like he could take on the world – if only Axel was with him.

-0-

True to his word, Axel had stayed on the line while Roxas painstakingly turned his house inside out making sure no one was waiting to leap out at him and cut his eyeballs out. Nothing was out of place, except of course, the laundry door positively open, and the fucking phone being plugged back into the wall…or so he initially thought.

The note he'd gotten in his mailbox had been taken from the coffee table in the living room. He knew he hadn't moved it since showing it to Axel the night before, so that undoubtedly took having physical evidence for the police out of the equation.

He couldn't believe it…not that putting it in a safe place had really occurred to him. He hadn't planned on the asshole breaking into his place and taking the note back.

All in all it had been a pretty rushed morning getting to work. Thank God there'd been no traffic to weave his way through, and he knew there wouldn't be any morning meetings today either. He all but threw his car into a park and headed into the building, and took the elevator all the way up to the thirteenth floor. If he could get a good start on things, maybe he could take an hour off for lunch and head down to the police station.

As he made his way over to his shitty little cubicle, Roxas took in all the people around him. He immediately located Zexion busy at his own desk, completely unaware of Roxas' scrutiny. Zexion and he weren't exactly friends, but he couldn't believe that the guy would do something so backhanded. Yet again, true psychopaths managed to blend perfectly into normal society…

And then there was Riku. Roxas' eyes found him next; chatting over by the water cooler to a petite redhead that he idly remembered was called Kairi.

"Oh, good morning, Roxas," Kairi called politely, as Roxas made his way passed the two. Riku remained silent, but his eyes spoke volumes as they locked with his own. He could see something there that unnerved him. Ever since he'd started here, he'd heard that Riku had a reputation for ladder climbing…and there was just something about the guy that put him on edge.

"Morning, guys," he replied quietly, forcing a friendly smile onto his face. Kairi beamed calmly back at him, not feeling anything amiss, but Roxas noticed instantly the slight narrowing of Riku's eyes.

He didn't stop to chat, just kept making his way to his desk, but he had a feeling that if he'd looked back, Riku would have still been staring after him.

The phone on his desk was already blinking with messages when he finally plunked down his laptop bag and began setting everything up for the day. He shoved creepy Riku out of his mind, and focussed on his favourite redhead instead.

Axel had called to tell him he would be working till six, but after that he'd wanted to take Roxas out for dinner and then go get new deadbolts for his place. Roxas had happily agreed; the romantic in him immediately thinking 'dinner' sounded a lot like a date. He was looking forward to it even if nothing he truly wanted to happen would. Damn, if only those fantastic green eyes and wicked smile would get out of his dreams and into reality. He wanted Axel to look at him again like he had last night, and his hands – those long fingers carding through his hair were certainly nice, but he could definitely envision them curling around something else entirely…

-0-

A bit after midday, Roxas made his way downstairs and then drove further into town to the police station. He'd had to wait maybe ten minutes before he'd been ushered into a small bare room with a desk and two chairs. It would have felt more like an interrogation if the officer he was speaking to hadn't moved his chair around the table to sit beside him. Officer Lexaeus was an absolute mountain of a man. Roxas wondered briefly what the hell he had to eat to get as big as this guy – maybe small children?

"The information you've given us isn't much, but it's enough to start an investigation," Officer Lexaeus was saying. "I can't promise anything at this stage, but we'll look into these phone numbers and start patrolling more frequently through the suburb you're living in."

Roxas was uncertain with how much the police could actually do about all of this, but seeing the hard resolve in the policeman's eyes made him want to put his faith in them.

"Is there anyone you can think of who could possibly be holding a grudge against you? Maybe an ex-partner or work colleague?" The giant man continued, his ball point pen poised over Roxas' statement, waiting to add further notes.

Roxas shook his head slowly. "It's hard to say…no one has ever given me a reason to think they would come after me like this."

Officer Lexaeus clicked the top of the pen once and put it down on the table. He picked up Roxas' statement and shuffled the papers into a neat pile. "If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to give me a call. In the meantime, I would highly recommend getting your locks changed as it seems like this person may have keys to your residence."

Roxas straightened sharply. "I never thought of that…" he murmured, his brows creasing in concern. But now that he _did_ think about it, he had always kept a spare key under the cat rock in the back garden, just in case he ever locked himself out. _How could he be so stupid?_

Officer Lexaeus nodded seriously. "I would stay at your home for the time being as well. It would not be a wise decision involving other people at this stage, especially if this person harassing you is unstable."

Roxas blinked. The policeman's advice didn't exactly make him feel any better…

"As always, if you feel you are in real danger call triple zero immediately." He stood up, Roxas rising with him. They shook hands, Roxas' hand all but lost inside Lexaeus'.

"Thank you for seeing me, Sir. I feel better knowing something's being done about it."

Officer Lexaeus clapped a hand on his shoulder as they made to step out of the room. The force of it nearly knocked Roxas clean off his feet. "Not a problem, Roxas. I'll contact you directly when we've found any possible leads."

-0-

The rest of the day was a complete blur to Roxas. He answered phones, created quotes, and wrote up documents. He didn't even realise how late it had gotten until one of his colleagues yelled goodbye to him.

He idly noted that it was twenty-five minutes past five as the phone on his desk began ringing again. One more call and he was packing it in…he didn't want to be late to meet up with Axel.

"Kingdom Hearts Media Solutions, this is Roxas speaking," he recited smoothly. He held the receiver between his ear and shoulder while his hands were busy finishing up his work on the laptop. There was no reply forthcoming and his hands stilled over the keyboard, listening intently. Somehow he just knew.

"This is Roxas speaking, is anyone there?" he tried again. Still silence, the person on the other end letting him squirm.

He grabbed the receiver and let out an explosive sigh.

"This is fucking ridiculous," he said into the phone, his hand already moving to slam the phone back into its cradle.

" _Rrrrrrrr…."_

His hand froze. There had been noise on the other end. Slowly, he bought the receiver back up to his ear.

"…Hello?"

" _Roxassssss"_ A hoarse voice grated out. The hairs on the back of Roxas' neck stood on end.

His heart was thundering in his chest as he all but scrambled to get the phone back into its cradle. He slammed it down with such force he felt the plastic of the receiver give way slightly and crack.

The stalker had spoken to him – he'd finally said something, and now he knew without a doubt it was a man who was terrorising him…turning his life into a living hell...

"Roxas?"

At the sound of someone standing directly behind him, Roxas flew out of his chair and spun around; his desk driving sharply into the back of his upper thighs.

At seeing his panic-stricken face, Zexion took a step back, his eyes wide and confused. "I-I'm sorry, are you alright?"

Roxas willed his heart to calm down as he shoved a shaking hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm okay, you just surprised me," he choked out. He fought to control his rising panic as his hand leaning flat on his desk came into contact with the smooth, cold metal of a pair of scissors. Not wanting to draw Zexion's attention he shifted his body slightly and slowly grasped the scissor's plastic handle.

Zexion did not look convinced, but made no further comment about Roxas' erratic behaviour. "I just wanted to let you know I'm heading off now, I think you're the last one out."

Roxas' hand closed tighter around the scissors. If what Zexion was telling him was true, they were alone in here. His fight or flight mechanism was working overtime and he forced himself to sound neutral.

"Okay, I'll make sure I lock up," he replied as calmly as he could. "Thanks for letting me know."

With another strange look shot his way, Zexion raised a hesitant hand in farewell before departing for the elevator.

Roxas watched him get into the lift before sinking down onto his desk and allowing himself to breathe easier. He was sitting on his laptop's keyboard but he didn't care. He released the scissors that were digging mercilessly into his palm and looked down at his empty hand in shock. Had he really considered stabbing the other man? The way he'd been holding them…he had felt the conviction to do it. The terror that had washed over him – first the phone call, and then Zexion all but standing behind him without his knowing. It was all getting to him – inside his head. The anxiety and the desperation…what was he becoming?

The office was eerily quiet and empty as he came back to his senses. He slammed his laptop closed without powering it off and desperately shoved it and his paperwork into his bag.

The sooner he got out of here the better. Axel would be waiting for him.

-0-

"Yo!" Axel waved and called out as Roxas jogged up the street to where he was waiting.

"Sorry, I got caught up with work," Roxas gasped between breaths as he fell into step with Axel. Thank God he'd taken his suit jacket and tie off in his car, because this summer was trying to kill him.

Axel shrugged. "All good man, I just got hungry so it was perfect timing actually."

Axel had lost his tie, too, but had kept his jacket on. Damn, he looked good in a suit – Roxas was definitely not complaining. He loved how Axel could instantly make him feel better with such minimal effort. It was like magic, and the weight of his tense afternoon slipped from his shoulders.

"So where are you taking me?" Roxas purred, shooting Axel a cheeky wink. He knew it wasn't a date, but there was no harm in a little teasing.

Axel threw back his head and laughed. His eyes sparkled mischievously. "How do you feel about Mexican?"

Axel led him a few blocks down the street to a small hole in the wall restaurant called _Consuela's_ which on first impressions looked like a front for a money laundering racket. Considering this was Hollow Bastion, Roxas wouldn't have been surprised if it was.

"This place has the best burrito's, I swear," Axel was saying as he made his way inside, smirking at Roxas' amused expression.

"As long as I can have extra guacamole I'm not complaining," he answered as they found a table towards the back.

They ordered their food and got a couple of beers before Roxas started filling Axel in on what Officer Lexaeus had told him. Axel's eyes never left Roxas' face as he shucked his way out of his suit jacket and threw it over the back of the empty chair beside him.

"So he didn't say how long until they get back to you with something?" Axel asked, before downing half of his beer in one go. Roxas watched for a moment, admiring the strong curve of the other man's neck. His eyes followed Axel's adam's apple moving with each glug of beer and wandered lower still, drinking in the sliver of exposed skin visible through his unbuttoned collar.

Roxas quickly took a drink from his own beer as he flicked his eyes over towards the bar. Couldn't be caught staring now. "Yeah, he had no idea. He just said he'd be getting his people onto it straight away, so at least that's better than nothing."

Axel slammed the bottle down with relish, a sigh of pure bliss escaping his lips. "Man, I needed that."

"He did tell me that I should stay at home for the moment," Roxas continued, his eyebrows furrowing. "Said I shouldn't involve other people until they had an idea of what they're dealing with."

Axel leaned his forearms on the table. "That's a tad insensitive…" He hesitated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to crash at mine for a while, too."

Roxas immediately shook his head. "I better not. He did have a point. I have no idea what this guy's capable of, and if he's after me, what's to say he won't come after the people close to me as well?"

"Who's having the burrito with extra guac?" Interrupted a lanky teen with the wildest mullet Roxas had ever seen. He was holding two giant plates in front of him.

"That'd be me, thanks," he said, already looking forward to his wrapped bundle of Mexican goodness.

"And that leaves extra chilli, two meats for you, dude." The waiter unceremoniously placed the other plate down in front of Axel. His job done, he wished them a pleasant meal before heading back towards the kitchen.

Roxas snorted as he hastily started unwrapping his burrito. "Two meats? You whore."

Axel laughed. "You know I love all the meats, Rox. I don't like to discriminate." He took a huge bite out of the burrito in his hands. "Someone's gotta make up for all the vegetarians in the world."

Roxas nearly choked as he tried to eat and laugh at the same time, Axel's eyes glinting happily over at him. He made no attempt at helping Roxas out of his coughing fit, just sat there looking smug and making quick work of his dinner.

"All the meats, huh?" Roxas finally managed to get out. He grasped at his beer and downed the rest of it, clearing his throat. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.

Axel nodded sagely. He lowered his eyes to half mast and licked his lips enticingly. " _All of the meats…in and around my mouth, Rox."_

Roxas' eyes immediately fell to Axel's alluring lips. Before his imagination got the better of him he caught himself and quickly looked down to the burrito in his hands. He could feel his face heating up, and prayed to all that was good and holy that Axel wouldn't notice. Man, this wasn't fair at all. Axel knew how good looking he was and he certainly knew how to press Roxas' buttons.

Suddenly, Roxas' phone started vibrating in his pocket and a learned feeling of dread crushed his good mood instantly. Placing the burrito back on its plate he fished the phone out as Axel watched on silently.

He looked at the caller ID and sagged with relief. It was just his cousin calling, Sora's happy smile practically bursting out of the screen at him. He silenced the vibration and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Just Sora," he explained to Axel. "I'll call him back later."

Axel threw the last of his burrito into his mouth before answering. "Has the creep called you anymore today?"

Roxas frowned. He'd suddenly lost his appetite. "Yeah, this afternoon, on my work phone." He paused. "He said my name."

"Has he never said anything before?" Axel burst out, his face incredulous. "Was that all he said?"

"Yeah, this was the first time and that was it…he might of said more, but I was so freaked out I hung the phone up." He grabbed one of the folded napkins on the table and began cleaning his hands. "And then Zexion came up behind me and scared the shit out of me."

Axel's hand shot out and wrapped around one of Roxas' wrists, stilling his movements. Roxas' eyes locked with his, and he could clearly see the quiet anger seething there.

"Did he hurt you?" Axel's tone was dangerously void of emotion. "If he did anything to you, Rox, I swear –"

Roxas placed his other hand over Axel's and squeezed reassuringly. "He didn't do anything, Ax. He just wanted me to lock up since I was last out."

Axel drew in a shaky breath before releasing him and flumping back into his chair. "Thank God…" he murmured. "If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

Roxas swallowed heavily. He felt breathless. Was it too much to hope that maybe Axel had feelings for him, too…?

"Axel…" He was leaning forward without a second thought, his heart pounding with quick, staccato beats.

Axel was surprised for all of two seconds before comprehension dawned across his features. He began to lean in, too, one of his hands already reaching towards Roxas' face.

Roxas couldn't believe this was happening – couldn't believe he'd taken a chance and it was paying off. It looked like Axel was going to….

For a split second he found his attention inexplicably diverted to the tables directly behind Axel. He stopped dead, his eyes widening. There alone, with nothing in front of him, sat Riku. Riku's eyes were burning straight into his, and for what felt like an eternity they held each other's gaze.

 _What the fuck is he doing here?_

Roxas jumped as Axel's hand brushed his cheek. His eyes snapped back to Axel immediately, pulling sharply out of his grasp.

"Roxas…?" Axel lowered his hand back down to the table, his expression a mix of confusion and hurt.

"Let's go," Roxas murmured quietly. "Don't look behind you. I'll explain outside."

He grabbed Axel's arm and began hauling him towards the exit. Axel said nothing; just let himself be pulled as they made their way to the door. They both threw down some money at the counter by the door to cover the bill, and headed out onto the street.

Roxas kept walking, still holding onto Axel's arm. He had to get out of there and he was half worried to turn around, lest his creepy colleague was now following.

"Roxas, what happened back there?" Axel asked, his voice strained as they reached the end of the block and turned around the corner.

Roxas finally stopped and pressed his back into the wall. People flowed around them endlessly, taking no notice of the only two standing still.

"There was a guy from work – Riku – sitting behind you," Roxas began, "and he was just staring at me. Not eating or anything…just staring." His palms were slick with sweat. He rubbed them on his pants, willing himself to calm down. He was okay, he told himself. Axel was here, and it didn't look like Riku was coming after them.

"Do you think he's the guy?" Axel was standing so close to him that Roxas could feel his body heat. Axel's eyes burned desperately down into his.

"I – I don't know, but it was weird wasn't it?" For some reason he needed Axel's reassurance. He needed to know he wasn't overreacting. "And he saw you. He saw you with me, and if he's the guy doing all this he's gonna come after you, too!"

Roxas felt like his brain was melting through his ears, and why was it so _damn hot?_ He jerked at his shirt collar, pulling another button open. He was losing it, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. He couldn't handle this pressure anymore – _when would it all end?_

Suddenly, Axel was moving to stand in front of him, his hands cupping his cheeks and effectively blocking out the rest of the street. "Roxas, look at me."

Roxas obeyed and looked up into Axel's vivid green eyes. They were steady and calm in comparison to Roxas' panicked blue.

"It's going to be okay, Roxas, I promise," Axel breathed softly. "I'll always be here to protect you."

Closing the gap between them, Axel pressed his lips against Roxas', his body falling against him, and pushing him gently back against the wall.

Roxas gasped, his hands finding purchase in the front of Axel's shirt as his brain tried to keep up with this sudden turn of events. _Axel was kissing him._ He closed his eyes and pressed forwards hungrily, already moving to deepen the innocent kiss.

Axel groaned and smoothed his arms around Roxas' shoulders, pulling him in, closer still. They broke away for air, only to dive back in seconds later, Axel leading the kiss with his tongue sliding sensuously against Roxas'.

How long had he wanted to do this? How long had Axel wanted to do this? He thought there'd been tension, but nothing as intense as this. Roxas slid his arms around Axel, as he buried his fingers into the fabric of Axel's shirt. This man he hungered for – he needed him closer…closer…

They came apart slowly, Roxas' eyes dreamy and unfocussed; Axel's burning with green fire.

"Do you feel better?" Axel whispered onto his lips.

"You have no idea." Roxas murmured in response, his brain finally coming back down to Earth.

Axel released him and stepped back the tiniest bit, his hands still loosely holding Roxas' hips. He laughed softly. "Come on, it's getting late, and I don't know about you, but I want those new deadbolts on your doors _tonight._ "

Roxas drew in a shaky breath, his panic all but obliterated by Axel's kiss. He felt lightheaded, but steady. Fuck Riku. He'd deal with that tomorrow.

A warm grin played over his still tingling lips. "Yeah, let's go."

Axel grinned right back at him. He grasped Roxas' hand tightly and began heading towards the nearby hardware store.

-0-


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and follows! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, too.

* * *

 **Chapter Three.**

 _Making his way through the dark and silent house he quickly moved towards his ultimate goal – Roxas' bedroom. Lately he just couldn't help himself. He'd tried to see reason – that he was happy watching his love from afar, but now his obsession was all but consuming him from the inside out. The door to Roxas' room was open, and he could just make out a head of blond hair poking out from under the covers. He stood over Roxas and drank him in. His soft, golden hair, and the delicate flutter of his eyelashes capturing his attention. Next, his eyes wandered over Roxas' lips. They were parted slightly…begging to be kissed…_

 _His fingers itched. He knew he couldn't touch. He knew he shouldn't even be here. He raised the camera in his hand and focussed the lense. He told himself to be patient. Just a little longer and Roxas would be all his…_

-0-

Roxas threw two teaspoons of raw sugar into his coffee and stirred slowly. This was sure to wake him up. He hadn't gone to bed any later than usual, but he'd slept badly anyway. At some point in the night he'd had a vivid dream involving a blinding flash of white light. He knew he'd half woken up, but had found nothing amiss. He'd simply written it off to the influences of the extra guacamole burrito and gone back to sleep.

He'd bought two deadbolts with Axel and then they'd headed back to his for a few more beers, and the ever manly task of installing them into his doors. Axel had brought along his cordless drill and within minutes they had both doors newly secure. The creepo had called Roxas' mobile no less than fifteen times since he had gotten home and Axel had answered it every time for him. Roxas wondered how the stalker felt being told to fuck off fifteen times, too.

Roxas wanted to kiss Axel again. Some part of him wondered if the kiss had really happened at all. He dumped some milk into his coffee and stirred it in. He shook his head lightly. No, it had definitely happened – but wasn't Axel straight? He'd never actually asked, but they had been friends for months now and this was all news to him. Axel had never talked about boyfriends – only girlfriends. Roxas didn't give a fuck what anyone thought about his preferences. He'd never had a reason to hide the fact from anyone. But Axel had left last night without turning into a wolf at the door, leaving Roxas severely disappointed.

Coffee in hand, Roxas made to leave the lunch room and head back to his desk. It was going to be a long day. He'd already had to deal with some cranky lady shouting about how she abhorred robotic cats being used in cat food commercials instead of real cats. Did it really matter so much? Apparently to some people it did.

Before he could reach the door it was already opening. His hand clenched around his paper coffee cup and he froze on instinct. Riku, his hand still resting on the door knob stopped, too. A second passed for what felt like eternity to Roxas as they stared each other down. What the hell was with this guy? Was he really the one who was…?

"Roxas, could I talk to you?" Riku said quietly. He didn't wait for Roxas to answer. He quickly looked back out into the hallway, then stepped inside and pulled the door closed. _The doors lock clicked into place._

Roxas' feet were already moving before he was fully aware of it. Without turning his back to the other man, he stepped backwards and quickly to the right. The lunch room's table now between him and Riku. His last defence would be the scalding hot coffee in his hand. If Riku tried to get anywhere near him he was getting first degree burns to the face.

Riku watched all this calmly from his position in front of the door, Roxas' behaviour apparently not coming as a surprise to him.

"Look, you don't have to be so defensive," Riku raised his hands in a placating manner. "I won't keep you for long, I just wanted to –"

"Are you the one who's been calling me? Following me?" Roxas cut him off angrily. "Why were you just sitting in Consuela's by yourself last night?"

For a brief moment Riku looked genuinely confused, before realisation at what Roxas was accusing him of took over. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What, no, I was waiting for my brother."

"Then why have you been staring at me so much?" Roxas argued, his voice rising in volume. "Every time I see you, you're looking at me like you want to kill me!"

"Yeah, cause I'm shit at this stuff alright?" Riku blustered out. He jerked one of his hands through his hair in exasperation. "I just wanted to ask you about the guy that brought you donuts last week – he was short, with messy brown hair – I think it was last Wednesday."

It was Roxas' turn to be confused. Where the hell was this conversation going? He wasn't dropping his guard just yet. "…Are you talking about Sora?"

Riku looked relieved that Roxas and he were finally getting onto the same page. "I don't know his name, but he was really happy…with big blue eyes," he added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, that sounds like Sora. He's my cousin," Roxas supplied shortly. "What about him?"

Riku had the nerve to look slightly embarrassed. "This is going to come off weird no matter how I say it, but do you think you could give him my number?"

Roxas stared. _This_ was why the guy had been staring at him and freaking him out? He'd been trying to work up the courage to ask him about _Sora?_

"You want me to give him your number?" He repeated slowly. Honestly he was a bit dumbfounded.

"Tell him my last name is Archer too…he can check me out on Facebook first if that'll make him more interested."

Roxas sagged visibly, the tension rushing out of him. A small laugh burst past his lips. "Yeah sure, I can do that."

Riku grinned too, feeling the previous atmosphere dissipate completely. "Oh, shut up, don't give me that."

Now Roxas really laughed. "What – can't get a date? Gotta resort to picking up coworkers' relatives?"

Riku quirked a cocky grin. "I honestly thought he might be _your_ boyfriend, so this went a lot smoother than I anticipated."

"Yeah, could've got ugly real quick," Roxas replied. But he was thinking for an entirely different reason…

"Alright, I'll give him your number and throw in a good word for you. He's a bit of a space cadet, but he's a good guy. He'll let you down easy," he teased.

"Yeah, yeah." Riku rolled his eyes. "But thanks." He turned and unlocked the door, but paused before opening it. "What did you mean about me calling you?" He frowned. "Is someone harassing you?"

Roxas shook his head as he walked around the table heading towards the door. "Yeah, someone's been calling me nonstop, at all hours. It's doing my head in." He paused. "It's been going on for a while now, so when I started noticing you staring at me, I thought maybe you were behind it. I'm sorry I accused you."

"Don't worry about it…I realised I was probably freaking you out when you practically ran out of Consuela's yesterday."

Roxas snorted, but honestly the guy wasn't wrong.

"Have you told the police?" Riku continued, Roxas now standing beside him.

"I have, but without any physical evidence they can't do much. At least they're aware of it now, though."

Riku nodded and pulled the door open. "What is wrong with people these days? Maybe you should change your mobile number?"

Roxas had considered it, but man, what a hassle. His mobile number was connected to everything – his bank accounts, his memberships, all his relatives spread across the country…but it was definitely something he should look into if _El Creepo's_ enthusiasm for tormenting him didn't let up.

"Yeah I might do that," he acquiesced. They walked down the corridor together, heading back to their respective cubicles. "Hey, give me your number before I get side tracked. I have to call Sora today anyhow."

"How could I forget?" Riku grinned. Roxas held out his phone and Riku dutifully punched in his number.

-0-

On his lunch break, Roxas called Sora.

As he waited for his cousin to answer, Roxas thought about Riku. He wasn't the guy harassing him after all – a complete dead end. He supposed that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it sure didn't help any either. The ringing stopped as the call connected.

"Bout time you called me back! I needed you yesterday, man!" Sora all but shouted down the line. Roxas moved the phone away from his ear.

"Sorry, I was really caught up with work," Roxas lied. "What did you want anyway?"

He heard Sora sigh explosively. "Goofy and I needed one more player for footy tryouts! We ended up convincing Donald instead, even though all he did was grumble about it. But it all worked out in the end."

Sora was never without his two best friends, Goofy and Donald. Roxas had only met them once. Donald was short and grumpy, Goofy tall and, well – goofy! He couldn't remember the guys' real name though.

"I would've said no anyway, I hate running around – you know this." Roxas wasn't lazy per se, but organised sports just weren't his thing. Sora on the other hand, could never get enough. He was constantly signing up for triathlons and odd challenges like badminton comps. He was a bundle of energy, and made friends wherever he went.

Sora had been over the moon when Roxas had moved to Hollow Bastion. He'd taken him around, shown him the sights and the best places to eat. Despite their energy levels and interests being drastically different they'd always been close friends. Just because they were cousins didn't mean they had to get along.

"It was worth a try. I was going to beg till I was blue in the face." Roxas could just imagine the pout Sora would've been sporting right now.

"Anyway Sora, are you seeing anyone at the moment?"

"No, I'm not! What, are you gonna set me up with someone?" He joked. Sometimes Roxas didn't think Sora was as airheaded as he made himself out to be.

"Yeah, a guy I work with saw you in here last week bringing me donuts – said he really liked your ass – I mean eyes." Roxas grinned like an idiot. Hey, he could have fun with this.

"Wait, no way! What's this guy look like? Does he have silver hair? Greeny-blue eyes?" Sora sounded excited.

"Yeah, Riku Archer is his name. How'd you know? He wants me to give you his number."

"Holy crap! I can't believe this!" Sora screamed into his ear. "I was checking him out, too! This is so great!"

Roxas laughed. "Okay, calm down. At least let him buy you dinner first before you throw him down somewhere." What were the odds that they were both checking each other out?

"Oh man this is gotta be fate – we were _destined_ to be together," Sora squealed. Roxas just rolled his eyes. Here we go with the _destiny_ thing again. Sora was a big fan of _fated happenings,_ and what not. Roxas just thought it was a bunch of nonsense.

"Yep, it's wicked ol' fate again – shut up and let me give you his number," Roxas rushed out, talking over Sora's enthusiastic babble.

Sora quietened down instantly. He made a small humming noise of excitement as Roxas rattled off Riku's phone number.

"I can't wait," Sora said breathlessly. Roxas kind of felt sorry for Riku. The guy had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"I gotta get back to work." Roxas said reluctantly. His lunch break was just about finished. "But don't skimp on the details."

"No worries, Rox, see ya!"

-0-

The rest of the day passed without incident. Roxas answered his work phone always expecting silence on the other end, but the stalker never called – not even to his mobile. He briefly wondered if this was a good sign. Perhaps the guy was getting bored? He fervently hoped that it wasn't just the calm before the storm.

He pulled his car into his driveway just as the last rays of sunlight slipped past the horizon. It was twilight and darkness was falling rapidly. He stepped out of the small car and made sure it was locked. His skin prickling unpleasantly Roxas walked quickly down the driveway to grab his mail before heading up the stairs and onto the porch, unlocking the two locks on the front door. He felt nervous for some reason, and really wished he'd just gone over to Axel's tonight like his friend had wanted him to. Stepping inside, he turned the deadbolt in the door, feeling slightly better. That's right, he had to remind himself, no one could get in here now – not with the new locks in place.

He was safe.

He walked through the dim hallway into the kitchen and flicked on the light. There on the kitchen counter, sitting innocently enough, was a single, white envelope.

His eyes immediately flicked around the room, his shoulders tense. No one had keys to his place except Axel…so maybe his friend had left the envelope for him. His heart sunk into his stomach. He was lying to himself and his body knew it. Axel wouldn't do this; he would have let him know, or just given him whatever it was in person.

Roxas chewed at his fingernail for a moment, deciding what would be the best course of action. What if there was poison inside – like anthrax? …Or maybe razor blades? His eyes scanned each window and door in turn as he continued chewing on his nail.

 _Was he being watched?_

The silence of the house pressed in on him, and all his eyes could focus on was that damned, white envelope.

"Fuck it," he breathed out, dropping his laptop bag, keys and phone on the counter before reaching for the source of his torment. It wasn't sealed. Roxas flipped up the lip of the opening before pulling out a single piece of firm paper folded once. It was rectangular, and as he unfolded it, he could feel the tell-tale glossy sheen of a photograph against his fingers.

It was a photograph.

A photograph of him.

That wasn't even the worst part as Roxas tried to comprehend exactly what he was holding between his shaking fingers. He looked down with disbelieving eyes and recognised himself in the photo, sleeping peacefully in his own bed. His features were lit up harshly by the artificial light of a camera's flash. He read the time stamp in the corner of the photo three times before finally letting the numbers sink in.

It was yesterday's date. Which would mean _…he thought he'd dreamt that flash of white light._

Roxas slammed the photo down onto the counter as his stomach heaved violently. A hand flew up to crush desperately over his mouth.

 _He'd_ been in the house last night – the deadbolts had done nothing. He'd stood over Roxas and taken a photo, and Roxas had actually woken up when the flash had gone off.

 _He'd woken up, and the guy had still been in his room._

Roxas choked down a whimper. Tears borne of terror pricked at the corners of his eyes.

 _Ring…ring. Ring…ring._

" _No…_ " he choked out, his home phone ringing ominously.

He knew who would be on the other end.

 _Ring…ring. Ring…ring._

Roxas snapped. His shaking fingers leapt out at the ringing phone and wreathed it from its cradle. He crushed it to his ear.

"Please – stop! Why are you doing this? I can't take it anymore!" He shouted desperately into the receiver. Silence was his answer, but he knew the man was there. Just listening quietly…revelling in Roxas' fear.

"Please stop this!" he begged. "What do you want from me!?"

" _I'm coming for you, Roxas."_ He heard a harsh voice whisper.

" _I'm coming for you."_

Roxas hurled the phone away from him with all of his strength. It smashed into the wall opposite and clattered loudly against the tiled floor. His eyes never left the phone as he backed away from it, his senses flooded with fear.

His back hit the wall as his knees gave way beneath him. He slowly slid down the wall, his legs splaying out in front of him. He continued to stare at the phone, his eyes glassy and almost unseeing.

The green light was still on. The call was still active.

" _Rrrrrrrrr….."_

The house was so silent and still. The voice on the phone reverberated across the tiled floor.

" _Rrroxassss…."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four.**

Roxas didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the green light on the phone, before he started slowly crawling towards it, his hand fumbling for the end call button.

He didn't want to hear it anymore, and he didn't know what to do. _He_ was coming for him, but in reality he was probably _already here_.

He got to his feet and immediately went to the second cutlery drawer in his kitchen and shifted through the utensils until he found what he was looking for. A small, but deathly sharp paring knife. Size didn't matter in this sense. He knew if he had to wield something with deadly force this knife would be perfect, and he'd never felt so determined to use a weapon in his life.

Even so, his hand trembled around the cold, metal handle. He was petrified, and if it came down to fighting for his life he just hoped he could find enough strength to come out of this alive.

Holding the knife firmly, blade pointing downwards, Roxas reached for his mobile on the counter beside him. He scrolled down to Axel's number and pressed the call button. He couldn't stay here, but he was too terrified to leave the house. The wait was agonising as he willed Axel to pick up.

"This is Axel – leave a message." Axel's recorded voice intoned.

 _Shit._

He ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket. Why now of all times was his friend out of reach? He didn't want to leave a message either and freak the guy out…

He didn't think he was overreacting – but then again, until now, this nightmare he found himself trapped in had yet to escalate to this level.

 _Ring…ring. Ring…ring._

Spinning around wildly, Roxas tore the phone cord from the wall, the receiver still on the floor falling silent instantly.

He surged forward, almost tripping over his own feet as he ran for his bedroom. His empty hand hit light switches along the way, lighting the house up like a Christmas tree – illuminating everywhere someone could hide.

His heart felt ready to rip through his rib cage as he wreathed the curtains over the bedroom window and swiftly scrambled onto his bed; his back finding the wall and pressing hard against it.

There was only one way into this room, and it was large enough for Roxas to defend himself. God, he hoped he wouldn't have to.

The silence stretched for what seemed like eternity. It pressed in on him. He kept forgetting to blink, and his eyes stung every time he closed them. His ragged breaths were almost deafening. He was gripping the paring knife so hard his fingers were going numb and his knuckles stood out white against his skin.

Roxas wasn't sure what he should do next…was this serious enough to call the police?

Startling him, his mobile began chiming in his pocket. He quickly fumbled it out, his eyes never leaving the open doorway. He gave an audible sigh of relief as Axel's name flashed confidently across the glass screen.

"Roxas? What's up? Are you okay?"

"Axel, yeah, I'm okay – hey listen, could you come over and get me?" Roxas cut straight to the point. He hesitated with telling Axel the truth…what if the stalker was listening and decided to act? He didn't want him to panic. "My car won't start, but I'd like to stay over tonight if I could?"

"Aww shit, Rox. When you said you were right for tonight, I – I've gone out instead. I'm in Traverse Town visiting some old workmates."

Roxas' heart sank. Traverse Town was at least an hour and half away from Hollow Bastion. Now he really felt panicked. Maybe Sora could come get him? He was still too new in town to have made any friends…well friends he could readily call up to come _rescue_ him anyway. Axel had always monopolised all of his time – not that he was complaining, but now in hindsight, he really wished he had more people he could turn to.

Roxas roughly cleared the lump in his throat. "Oh okay, it's all good then…I'm feeling bored. I just wanted to see you..." He hoped that Axel wouldn't pick up on the hint of desperation lacing his words.

"I've had a shitload to drink, so I can't drive," Axel replied reluctantly. "But if you need me, I'll grab a cab right now."

 _I need you._

"No, I'm really fine," Roxas heard himself answering. "We'll catch up tomorrow."

"Roxas –" Axel made to argue, but was cut off by someone yelling over him in the background. " _Axel, put your pants back on!"_ A woman's voice slurred loudly.

"Geez Larxene, get off!" There was a scuffle, then silence. A moment later Axel was back. "Sorry, my friends think I'm talking to my girlfriend or something..."

Roxas nodded, even though Axel couldn't see it. His eyes were still pinned to the doorway. He forced a laugh. "Sounds like fun. Call me when you get back."

Axel paused, then – "Will do Rox, sweet dreams."

Roxas ended the call and immediately scrolled through his contacts, finding Sora's number, but after two rings the line disconnected and went straight to message bank.

He was frantically considering calling the police again when a message popped up. It was from Sora.

' _I'm out with Riku! XD I'll fill you in on the deets tomorrow!'_

Despite his current situation, Roxas briefly felt happy for Sora. Ultimately, he was at another dead end.

His fingers loosened around the knife a little bit as he shifted his position on the bed and sat more comfortably. He wasn't sure of how much time had actually passed, but he knew he'd been home for at least over an hour now. His tormenter was yet to make his presence known, and Roxas reluctantly considered that maybe he was just simply overreacting.

He took three, slow, deep breaths and carefully placed the paring knife down on the sheets beside him. He placed his phone within easy reach on the other side of his legs. He wouldn't call the police, but if he heard anything that sounded remotely like someone else was inside the house – he wouldn't hesitate.

His eyes never wavered from the doorway to his room as he settled himself in for what he knew would be a long, gruelling night. If he could just stay awake till daylight, then he could make his way over to Axel's place. Everything would be alright. He idly noted that he still had his shoes on; there was already dirt smudged on his sheets. It was just passed seven pm…

-0-

 _BANG._

Roxas sat bolt upright, his eyes flying open and searching wildly around the room for the source of the noise. The unexpected brightness of his bedroom light stabbed into his retinas.

 _Shit, he'd fallen asleep!_ He hastily pressed the button on his phone reading the time with disbelieving eyes. 3.06 am. The last time he'd dared to look, it had been a bit after midnight. God, how long had he been out of it? He'd tried so hard to keep his eyes open.

 _BANG._

He jumped violently as something heavy, but small crashed down onto the roof right above his head. Then silence. Rocks maybe…? Then more noise, _right outside his bedroom window._

His fingers scrabbled at the paring knife's handle as he quickly clenched it tight in his fist before standing up on the bed, leaning into the wall. He tried to swallow, but his throat had gone completely dry. He choked and coughed painfully, trying to work some saliva around his mouth.

This was it.

The deranged man behind it all had finally come for him.

Would he kill him, or maybe rape him first?

Roxas pressed his hand against the wall to try and steady himself as a forceful tremor worked its way through his body. This psycho loved his mind games…Roxas knew it wouldn't be so simple...

It was silent behind his drawn curtains again. Roxas waited, his ears pricked for the slightest disturbance.

Then, he heard it.

It was a slow repetitive _thunking_ sound, like something hard being dragged over wooden ridges. Roxas listened intently as the sound moved closer until it was right beside his bedroom window. It stopped. There was a long pause before the noise started again, just outside his window, and then becoming slightly fainter as whatever it was travelled back down the perimeter of his fence.

And then, Roxas realised what it was.

He stepped off his bed as quietly as he could, and cautiously peered around the corner of his curtain. Outside everything was in darkness except for what the streetlights managed to splash with faint, orange light. He could just make out the rough, hulking shapes of the generic plants all the rentals in the street had, and right beyond that his tall wooden fence. Down the far end of the fence he could just make out the figure of a person standing there amongst the shifting shadows. As he watched, the figure moved slowly back towards him, dragging something long and solid along the fence posts.

He held his breath, his tormentor moving ever closer to where he stood. There may have been two, solid barriers between them, but Roxas' hair still stood up on the back of his neck. He couldn't pull enough air into his lungs. Sweat rapidly beaded under his eyes and across his lips.

He choked back a whimper, the other man stopping no more than a couple meters in front of him. Roxas pressed himself against the wall beside the window, just waiting – straining so hard to hear outside that he thought his head would burst.

" _Oh, God…"_ Roxas moaned. He had to call the police. _Now._

 _WHAM._

His eyes snapped over to his bedroom doorway. That… _had sounded like it had come from inside._

 _WHAM._

Whatever it was struck again – and hard. He pushed off the wall and threw himself out of the room, heading towards the front door. It sounded like someone was trying to smash their way in.

WHAM.

But, as he reached the kitchen, Roxas realised it wasn't coming from the front door – the sound was coming from the laundry.

 _The back door._

He rounded the corner just in time to see the glint of something hard and metal being jimmied out of the centre of his door. There was a short pause, then the object slammed down again, and this time, Roxas could clearly make out the head of an axe splintering through the wood.

" _Oh, my God…Oh, my God…"_ Roxas sobbed, the paring knife slipping through his numb fingers. He clutched at his hair desperately. He couldn't tear his eyes away. _This was insane._

WHAM.

More of the door gave way right before his eyes as he clumsily scrambled backwards. The head of the axe now slowly working the hole it had already made wider.

Roxas' head swam. The only thought screaming through his head was _get away – get away NOW._

He staggered back through the house, reaching his bedroom and searching desperately for his phone. Clutching the small device like his last line of defence he lost his footing and fell backwards into his wardrobe. His brain barely registered the pain shooting through his shoulder and head as he managed to get up again and forcefully drag himself into the bathroom.

He locked the door, knowing full well that it wouldn't hold for long, and immediately dialled triple zero.

"Emergency Services – Fire, Ambulance or Police, please?" A calm female voice enquired.

"Police," Roxas gasped. He could still faintly hear the laundry door being smashed open.

"Connecting you now."

A pregnant pause, then a man spoke urgently, "Hollow Bastion Police – State the address and nature of emergency."

"Number eight, Oblivion Drive, North Hollow Bastion – There is a man smashing his way into my house – He's got an axe! He's been stalking me – He's – He's going to kill me!" Roxas shouted hysterically. The last of his sanity was leaving him.

 _They weren't going to make it! He was already dead – DEAD!_

"Stay with me, Sir, try to stay calm. Can you give me your name? Are you somewhere relatively safe for the moment?"

"I'm locked in my bathroom, my name is Roxas…" He sobbed as he sunk down onto his knees. His shoulder throbbed painfully, but he barely felt it. How was this happening? _Why was this happening?_

"Okay Roxas, I've got all available units attending. I'm going to stay with you on the line. Can you count to three with me, Roxas? Are you ready?"

"He's coming…" Roxas whimpered, his eyes were screwed shut so tight, stars were bursting across his eyelids. He tried hard to focus on the other man's voice, _but he could still hear the axe…_

"Roxas, I need you to take deep breaths." The emergency attendant tried again. "Count the numbers out loud, Roxas, count after me. One…"

Roxas sucked in a deep breath before using the last of his willpower to focus on the attendant's voice.

"One…" He whispered in answer. His eyes opened slowly and stared straight down, completely unseeing at the tiles between his knees. Tear drops were splattered there.

"Two…" The attendant continued strongly.

"Two…" Roxas repeated. He didn't notice when the repetitive sound of the axe outside faltered, and the distant wail of sirens replaced it instead.

"Three." The attendant finished.

Roxas took another shuddering breath. "Three…"

The sirens were getting louder, the high pitched wailing finally breaking through into Roxas' addled brain.

"Stay calm, Roxas. Help is on its way."

He barely heard the emergency attendant's parting words as he looked up at the bathroom door. Hopeful longing began filtering its way into Roxas' vacant eyes.

The sirens were deafening now, and he could just make out flashing red and blue lights shining under the door.

He didn't move. He _couldn't_ move. Roxas just sat hunched there, his legs seizing up in their strained position.

The police had made it…he was going to be okay.

Roxas' legs finally betrayed him and he fell sharply backwards, his back banging into the edge of the bath tub. It hurt and he didn't care. The pain was raw and sent a jolt through his system. He was alive, and a part of him distantly relished the feeling as his head throbbed and the relief washed over him.

There was movement on the other side of the door until finally there was an urgent couple of knocks. "Hollow Bastion Police – Roxas Halliday, are you in there?"

Roxas couldn't find his voice, but he managed to slowly reach up to the door knob and unclick the lock. The door was thrown open immediately, nearly smacking into him as two police officers, and a paramedic pushed their way into the cramped bathroom.

What happened next was an absolute blur. Roxas felt sick and disorientated – completely overwhelmed with shock. A light was shined into each of his eyes and he was briefly aware of a slight pressure tightening on his upper arm. Then the two police officers were on either side of him, helping him to his feet, his limp arms slung around their shoulders.

"Get him to the van quickly, he's going into hypotensive shock. Aerith! We need oxygen – stat!"

Roxas half consciously knew he was being dragged bodily through his house; his feet were barely touching the floor.

"Roxas – can you hear me? Stay with me, Roxas!"

All he could hear was the blood thundering in his ears. He couldn't focus, the world was tilting and swirling. Pins and needles raced along his veins as he gasped for breath, and finally as the humid heat of the morning air hit his face, and all the red and blue lights dazzled his eyes – everything slammed to black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five.**

Roxas woke up slowly and blinked his eyes a few times. Blearily, he focused on the smooth, white ceiling above him. His brain was telling him that he wasn't in his bathroom anymore, but the thought wasn't properly registering. He shifted slightly and felt starched sheets brush against his heated skin.

He could immediately tell he was in a large room, but was sheltered in a small section of it. Tall, white curtains surrounded him on three sides, obscuring the rest of the room. Slowly, noise began filtering in. The sounds of heart monitors counting beats, voices murmuring quietly, and the sharp footsteps of people passing backwards and forwards. The small curtained room had limited décor. Two chairs sat empty on his left side. Roxas raised a tired hand to rub at his eyes, and noticed the identification armlet on his wrist.

He was in the hospital.

Roxas didn't know how long he just sat there, zoning out, until the curtain moving directly in front of him managed to capture his attention. Roxas watched wordlessly as Officer Lexaeus made his way into the space; a tall man with long, blue hair followed closely behind him. Roxas' brain idly noted the gruesome scars that were slashed across the serious man's face. He knew he was staring, but for the moment, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Roxas. Officer Lexaeus. Good to see you again," Officer Lexaeus held out his hand for Roxas to grasp as he pulled back the chair beside his bed and took a seat. "This is detective Saix. He specialises in criminal psychology. In particular – criminal manipulation tactics."

Roxas just nodded and swallowed, his brain still sluggishly taking this all in. Detective Saix held out his hand also before settling himself beside Officer Lexaeus. Roxas grasped the man's hand weakly, his strength only just returning.

Wasting no time, Officer Lexaeus pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper from within his jacket and hastily unfolded it. He began to read.

"At 3.45 am on the 26th of September '15, an emergency call was received from your place of residence – Number eight, Oblivion Drive, North Hollow Bastion, of an attempted, violent home invasion. All available units within a 20km radius attended the incident, and you – Roxas Halliday, was recovered from aforementioned residence at approximately 3.58am. An ambulance was in attendance and treated you at the scene for hypotensive shock."

Lexaeus paused. He looked up seriously into Roxas' eyes. "Emergency services immediately took you to Hollow Bastion Hospital to make certain of your condition and recovery."

Roxas focussed and nodded sharply in affirmation, his hands twisted briefly in the sheets resting against his chest.

"Did you get him?" He murmured quietly.

Officer Lexaeus refolded the piece of paper and tucked it back into his suit jacket. "Before we go further into that, I need to collect a statement from you. I understand you've been through a traumatic ordeal, but it's important that we get this information while everything is as clear as possible in your mind."

Roxas' eyes shifted up towards the curtains behind Lexaeus' head. He didn't think he would ever forget. Not even if he wanted to.

Roxas shakily cleared his throat. "I don't think I can write anything legible right now, but could I give it to you verbally?" He shifted under the hospital sheets again, the blankets pulled tight against his legs. He was still wearing his clothes from the night before, sans his shoes and suit jacket. At least they'd spared him the embarrassment of undressing him.

"That will be fine." Officer Lexaeus anticipating his response produced a small voice recorder from his suit pocket, and promptly activated the device. He rested it on the bed beside Roxas.

Roxas began talking. The memories flowed over him as he tried to keep the emotion out of his words and just detail the facts. The continuing phone calls – the envelope on his kitchen counter containing the photo of him sleeping, and the sound of the man dragging what he now knew had been an axe, up and down his fence. He paused when he got to the last part. It was hard to isolate the terror he had felt from the proverbial nail in the coffin that had prompted him in calling the police. He could still hear the axe smashing its way through his door.

It felt like he'd been recounting and reliving it all for an eternity until finally, Lexaeus was switching off the recorder and placing it back in his pocket.

"Roxas, are you close to a man named Zexion Turner?" Lexaeus asked abruptly.

Roxas stiffened immediately at the name, his eyes wide and startled. "Zexion? I'm not personally close to him, but I do work with him at Kingdom Hearts Media Solutions…" He trailed off expectantly. Had he been right all along? Was Zexion behind this sick, twisted game?

Officer Lexaeus nodded. "I won't be going into full details now as I want you to get some rest, but Zexion Turner has been caught on several surveillance cameras, utilizing various public telephones around the city."

Roxas held his breath.

"When we pulled records from the telecommunications company, the times that he was caught on camera, and the times you received the threatening phone calls match up."

Roxas was stunned. Yes, he'd kind of suspected Zexion at the start of all of this, but he was so sure he had never given the other man reason to carry out something this extreme – to hate him so much that the quiet, serious, intelligent man had wanted to violently kill him.

"Well, most of the phone calls anyhow," Lexaeus continued somewhat reluctantly. "We are currently in the process of trying to locate his mobile phone, which we believe he was also using to contact you."

"Does this mean you've already apprehended him?" Roxas gasped out. His head was swimming again. Everything was happening so fast, but he couldn't help seeming eager in hearing some sort of conclusion to his nightmare.

"Correct." Officer Lexaeus said bluntly. "Mr. Turner was detained within his place of residence this morning and taken into custody at approximately 7.20 am."

"What's…What's going to happen to him?" Roxas murmured. It really seemed too good to be true, even as the relief washed through him. But, how long would they detain him before the psycho came after him again? How could Zexion do this to him?

"Roxas."

Roxas jumped slightly at the sound of the smooth, quiet voice, and immediately turned his attention to Saix sitting next to Lexaeus. Saix' deep, amber eyes bored into his steadily. Up until now, the detective was yet to breathe a single word.

"You moved to Hollow Bastion from Twilight Town four months ago, correct?"

"Yes I did…nearly five months ago, now," Roxas answered.

"In this limited time frame – can you tell me if anyone you know personally, or of whom you work with, that has become exceptionally close to you?"

The man's eyes were so intensely fixated on his own that Roxas was forced to look away. He didn't answer immediately, and Saix gave him the time he needed as he slowly began sifting through all the people he had met and befriended since moving to Hollow Bastion. There honestly wasn't a lot, since he'd mainly focussed on settling into his new job. Of course, within seconds he thought of Axel, who had almost completely monopolised his time since they'd first met. Roxas could still remember grasping Axel's hand, and the subtle tingle of electricity that had raced up his arm at the contact.

He shivered.

He wasn't sure what the detective was insinuating, but he wouldn't ever believe that Axel – his best friend, and the man of his dreams, would somehow be involved in all of this. If it wasn't for the severity of the conversation he would've laughed out loud. There was no doubt in his mind, he trusted Axel implicitly. Why was the man asking him this anyway? Hadn't they caught Zexion? What was the detective not telling him?

"No one specifically comes to mind." Roxas quietly answered instead. He was reluctant in sharing his relationship with Axel, or even in mentioning his friend's name, lest for some reason, the officers came to suspect him, too.

Saix' gaze never faltered, and Roxas knew the man did not believe him.

"Anyhow, we'll be leaving it at that for today, Roxas." Officer Lexaeus cut in. "If you could come into the police station tomorrow, at your earliest convenience, we can discuss this matter in further detail."

Roxas murmured his understanding as the two police officers rose silently.

Officer Lexaeus looked down at him, his expression still hard and serious. Roxas had to crane his neck right back just to look into the giant man's face. "I'm afraid I'll need you to stay at an alternate address for the time being while your place of residence is involved in this investigation."

"That won't be a problem," Roxas said. "I'll stay at a friends until everything dies down…"

They each shook Roxas' hand in turn, Saix handshake strong and full of meaning before they both turned away and left the room. Roxas lay back down slowly and heaved a long sigh.

 _Zexion…_

Roxas thought back to that afternoon that seemed so long ago now, when Zexion had stood behind him in the office. They'd been the only two left on the floor and Zexion had done nothing. Why hadn't he? Because it was his place of work, too, or because he was worried about surveillance cameras? Or maybe because he hadn't broken Roxas down enough to win against him…hadn't tormented him enough before dealing the crushing blow. How could Zexion act so calm and natural at work, and turn around and shove an axe through Roxas' laundry door?

Roxas shifted his legs uncomfortably under the restraining sheets. Somewhere beyond his curtained room an alarm sounded ominously. Why would Zexion do this to him? Had Roxas' performance at work threatened his position to this extent? Roxas knew Zexion to be a highly intelligent person. How could he so easily and efficiently break into Roxas' house, but then carelessly allow himself to be caught on surveillance cameras when he must've realised sooner or later that Roxas would approach the police? And using his own mobile phone to make threatening calls? That just seemed so painfully stupid and sloppy.

There were too many questions still unanswered.

" _Can you tell me if anyone you know personally or of whom you work with, that has become exceptionally close to you?"_

Saix quiet voice murmured through Roxas' mind as he remembered the man's loaded question. Was it a possibility that Zexion wasn't working alone?

Something wasn't adding up.

The curtains to the left of Roxas suddenly shifted and a petite blond woman dressed in a nursing uniform stepped through the gap. Upon seeing Roxas awake she smiled easily and moved towards his bedside.

"Roxas, I'm Namine." She murmured quietly. "I just need to take your blood pressure and temperature, and then you should be right to go."

"Thanks," Roxas greeted softly as the nurse efficiently moved to strap the band on the blood pressure monitor tightly around his upper arm.

"Would you like me to call anyone for you?" She asked him. The band slowly tightened and released, her eyes leaving the machine's display screen minutely to look up at Roxas' face.

"No, that'll be okay. If you could just give me my mobile, I'll call someone to come and get me." Namine smiled and nodded slightly as her slim fingers pulled at the velcro fastenings on the band around his arm.

"Your personal effects are in the bag beside your bed, don't forget to take it with you." She pulled a small cylindrical device out of a large pouch fastened at her waist and clicked a small attachment in place before gently tilting Roxas' head to the side.

"This might be a little cold," She laughed lightly and promptly pressed the attachment into Roxas' ear canal. Roxas flinched as the cool, curved piece slid easily inside his ear. He remained silent as Namine held the device in place until a small beep sounded.

"Your vitals are all tip top. You just need some good rest and you'll be fine," Namine smiled as she removed the device from Roxas' ear. She detached the small disposable piece and flicked it into a waiting bin before returning the thermometer to her pouch.

"…What exactly happened to me?" Roxas asked hesitantly. "Did I faint?"

Namine sat down on the side of his bed, her palm resting gently against the sheets. "Your body went into hypotensive shock, which is a fancy word for your blood pressure dropping to a dangerously low level. It can be life threatening if not treated properly. You were placed under a traumatic amount of stress, and your body acted accordingly." Namine gently cupped Roxas' cheek and smiled. "But you're all okay now. It's a perfectly normal reaction to an extreme situation."

Namine removed her hand from Roxas' cheek and stood up slowly. She crossed around to the other side of the bed and bent down, fumbling in a small brown bag that sat there. She straightened and handed Roxas his mobile. He took it happily and smiled. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"Not a problem, Roxas. Good luck with your recovery." With a small smile playing on her lips, Namine turned and pulled the curtain open and closed again as she left Roxas to his thoughts.

Roxas kicked at the blankets restraining him and freed his legs as his phone powered on. It was just after nine in the morning and as it was a Saturday he had no doubt that Axel would probably be sleeping off a ferocious hangover from the night before.

He dialled Axel's number and pressed the phone to his ear. Hungover or not, right at this moment, there was nobody else Roxas wanted to see more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six.**

Axel's eyebrows furrowed, Roxas' uneasiness clearly evident on his face.

"They've caught the guy haven't they? What are you still worried about?" Axel's green eyes burned into nervous deep blue.

No matter how much Roxas tried, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something about Zexion just wasn't right.

"Please, Ax, just do this for me?" He looked imploringly over at his friend sitting beside him in the driver's seat. They were sitting in the hospital carpark as Roxas tried to convince Axel to take the long way back to his apartment. He was horribly confused and half convinced that Zexion was either completely innocent or had an accomplice. He was deathly afraid of involving Axel and what that might mean for his friend…

"It was just something one of the detectives said, I don't think Zexion was working alone." He continued anxiously. Axel's hand tightened around the steering wheel. He breathed out a long sigh before reaching over and resting his hand against the back of Roxas' neck.

"If it'll make you feel safer, I'll definitely drive us around town for a while." He murmured softly, his fingers playing lightly with the hair on Roxas' nape.

Roxas smiled in relief, clicking his seatbelt in place. "Thanks man, and thanks for putting me up, too."

Axel removed his hand and promptly started the car. "God, don't even mention it, Roxas." He pulled a shaky hand through his hair before looking behind him and reversing the car out of the space. "I can't believe I didn't come round when you called me. I should've known something was wrong." He looked over at Roxas again as they waited to merge onto the road, his eyes filled with regret. "I'm so sorry."

Roxas shook his head. "I…You were miles away. And drinking. If I'd told you what was happening, you would've just felt helpless." Roxas' hands resting in his lap tightened into fists. "And I really had no idea he was going to...that it was going to get so out of control."

Axel's hand fell onto Roxas' shoulder and squeezed lightly. "Don't let it worry you anymore. I'm never going to let something like this happen again." He returned his hand to the steering wheel and indicated left, winding his way through the streets. "After I promised I'd be there for you, and this shit happens…I could've lost you."

"You haven't lost me," Roxas murmured quietly. "I'm still here, Ax." His shoulder felt cold at the loss of contact.

Axel's green eyes flicked over to Roxas, desperate and serious. He took another sharp corner and picked up speed. "But still, Roxas – I mean – an axe? That is some crazy shit, and if I ever get my hands on that motherfucker he'll wish he'd never even dialled your number in the first place."

Roxas' heart started beating just a little bit faster.

"Thanks." He smiled warmly. He hesitated for a split second longer before placing his hand on Axel's thigh. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

They stopped minutely at a set of red traffic lights, a blur of cars sailing past in front of them. Axel looked like his relief had exhausted him. He returned Roxas' smile happily and gently enclosed Roxas' hand with his.

"Things are going to be better from now on, I promise you." Axel whispered, he leaned forward slowly, intent on capturing Roxas' lips with his. Roxas held his breath.

 _Beep!_

They sprung apart as the car behind them gave a sharp blast of their horn. Axel huffed impatiently and kicked the Mazda into gear, hastily shooting forwards through the intersection.

Roxas felt slightly cheated, but he smiled anyway and watched the scenery flick past his window. It was safe to assume Axel no longer wanted to just remain friends and his heart was singing within his chest. He was allowed to be happy. Yes, these last couple of months had been hell on Earth, but with Axel's promise filling his thoughts, and his heart beating with renewed strength, he felt like he could take on the world and win.

Axel drove around Hollow Bastion for no less than 40 minutes. Ducking down side streets, weaving through traffic, and doubling back no less than five occasions that Roxas picked up on. It seemed Axel was a master at evading unwanted company.

Now, ten storeys up, Axel pushed open the slim black door to his apartment and ushered Roxas inside. Roxas was no stranger to Axel's place. If they didn't hang out at his, it was almost certainly here, and he immediately made his way through the small entry and into the living room. He all but threw himself unceremoniously onto the couch. In a way it was like coming home, but he felt so much more comfortable here. No phone ringing off the hook, no dark garden concealing axe-wielding psychopaths…

He flung his legs out in front of him and jimmied off his shoes. The tie was a goner next, viciously pulled from around Roxas' neck and tossed haphazardly onto a nearby lamp.

"Do you want some water or something, Rox?" Came Axel's voice from the direction of the kitchen. "It's never too early for beer?" He teased lightly.

"I might have a shower if that's cool?" Roxas called back. Now that he could focus clearly on other important matters such as basic hygiene, Roxas knew he hadn't showered in over 24 hours.

Axel emerged from the kitchen holding two, tall glasses of water. Roxas outstretched his hand to take one, lazily enjoying how their fingers brushed minutely against each other.

"I'll find you a towel and some clothes," Axel replied as he set his own glass of water down on the coffee table, and headed further into the apartment. Roxas heaved himself up and obediently followed. He was already anticipating that brand new feeling under a hot, steady stream of watery goodness.

Axel met him halfway along the hall and shoved a small bundle into his waiting hands. "Well it's good to know the smell wasn't me," he grinned mischievously as Roxas burst out laughing. He playfully punched Axel in the shoulder. "Yeah, shut your face already."

Axel's carefree laughter followed him all the way into the bathroom where Roxas couldn't have stripped fast enough, the shower billowing out clouds of warm, enticing steam. He washed himself slowly, feeling like a total girl as he breathed in the scent of Axel's body wash. He watched the suds slip down his chest and arms, and savoured the perfect feeling of the hot water sluicing over his shoulder blades.

Drying himself and pulling on the clothes Axel had given him, Roxas realised that the pants were most likely his own, leftover from some late night drinking session, but the shirt was definitely Axel's. It wasn't exactly huge on him, but Roxas had never heard of a sport's team called 'The Dusks', and it smelled exactly like Axel.

Roxas felt refreshed. His damp hair was a perfect mess and clung to his head in places, and his skin was no longer sticky with the dried perspiration of fear. Sometimes there was nothing better than a long, hot shower, especially after the night he'd had.

He found Axel slumped into the couch in the living room, an episode of some medieval drama playing. Roxas hadn't had the time to get into it, but he knew Axel loved it.

He flumped down onto the couch as well, Axel looking over at him in surprise before his features relaxed into a calm smile. "Feeling better?"

"Loads," Roxas sighed, taking a long drink from his waiting glass of water.

"I've got no work today, so we can just hang out – get some more sleep. We'll talk about all that shit when you've had some rest." Axel murmured, his eyes glued to the unfolding scene in front of him. He inched closer towards Roxas though, his arm sliding along the top of the couch.

"I forgot you went out last night. You must've gotten home pretty early." Roxas sunk lower into the couch and subtly moved closer to Axel, too. No part of them touched, but Roxas could still feel the slight warmth of Axel's body heat.

"Yeah, I dragged my sorry ass home around seven. Larxene has the lumpiest couch I've ever had the displeasure of trying to sleep on." Axel lifted the arm leaning against the top of the couch, and rubbed at his head tiredly. They were sitting so close together that Axel's forearm rubbed against the back of Roxas' head with the motion. Roxas' skin tingled and he suppressed a shiver. He wasn't sure if it was the tiredness expressing itself through unwanted adrenaline, but he could almost feel the tension that seemed to hang in the air.

Right now, this was where Roxas wanted to be. Not going over last night's ordeal, and not nervously checking his phone for more unwanted calls. He wanted to forget Zexion and let the stress slip from out of his aching muscles…

And he most definitely wanted to kiss Axel again.

Moments passed as Roxas let out a tired breath, threw all caution to the wind and forced himself to relax against Axel's side. Axel's arm immediately pulled him more securely against him, his hand sliding warmly up and down Roxas' upper arm and shoulder.

There was a battle raging on the screen in front of them – the large, burly warriors fighting Anglo Saxons with small, sharp axes. Roxas idly thought that maybe this had been a poor choice on Axel's part, but his mind was already wandering back to last night, and most vividly, to early this morning.

He imagined Zexion running the axe along the wooden boards of his fence, the man's steps quiet and full of purpose. He could probably even make out Roxas' silhouette through the bedroom window. He imagined Zexion's anticipation growing as he made his way around the side of the house towards the laundry door, before immediately and violently slamming the axe into it. He would have known full well that Roxas on the other side could hear the metal hammering through the wood. It had all been a sick game. He'd wanted Roxas to feel powerless – helpless.

Roxas couldn't help but wonder what Zexion would have looked like as he'd stood over him with the axe. Would he have smiled – _grinned_ down at his prize? His eyes shining bright and crazed – completely drunk on his own power as he finally, _finally –_

"Hey."

Roxas jumped as Axel's voice cut through his spiralling thoughts, and his large hand tightened around Roxas' shoulder. Roxas looked up, only realising how close they were when Axel's breath ghosted across his lips.

"Are you okay?" Axel's worried eyes bored down into his own, his eyebrows creased in concern.

Roxas unconsciously licked his lips. "I – I'm okay. It's just hard to not think about it all. I still can't believe Zexion would do something like this." He looked away quickly, unfocussed eyes briefly taking in the battle still continuing on the TV. Axel appraised him closely.

"Who knows why he did it, Roxas. He's sick in the head," Axel said with conviction. "The only way to understand a crazy person, is to be one yourself."

On the screen, a rough, bearded man roared out a battle cry as he violently swung an axe into another man's head. Roxas could see the man's brains.

"Maybe I should try to sleep. Get my mind off it," Roxas said tiredly, his eyes ripping away from the disturbing scene in front of him and once again finding Axel's.

Axel shifted and gently pulled Roxas against his chest. "I think that'd be a good idea. I'll wake you up for food."

Roxas sprawled more freely over the couch, his arm finding purchase around Axel's waist. They'd certainly come a long way from being just friends, especially since he'd always thought that Axel was…

Roxas looked up at Axel expectantly, his tiredness banished for the moment. He had to know.

"Ax…are we still best friends?" He asked hesitantly. Axel blinked a few times in surprise and looked down at him.

"Of course we are. We always will be." He said with feeling, giving Roxas a slight squeeze.

Roxas swallowed the lump in this throat. "So that time we…after I freaked about Riku…?"

Axel's hand slid slowly along his jaw line, lifting Roxas' face to his. "You mean the time we did this?"

Roxas half expected it, but it still sent his senses reeling as Axel's mouth fell in place against his. It was a chaste kiss, a simple press of skin, but Roxas instinctively wanted more. He opened Axel's mouth with his own, flicking his tongue inside.

Axel moaned and met him halfway, pressing deeper into the kiss. Roxas sat up and eagerly moved forward as he buried his hands in Axel's hair, his fingers smoothing along Axel's warm skin.

With a small gasp of breath, Roxas broke the kiss and hazily realised he was now straddling Axel's lap. Axel's eyes at half mast, had darkened in colour, and his hands clutched firmly at Roxas' thighs. They were both panting, their breaths warm against each other's lips.

Roxas laughed breathily. "And all this time, I was convinced you were straight."

Axel grinned wickedly and slid a hand up under Roxas' shirt. Roxas thrilled at the contact; Axel's hand burning against his skin. "I guess you could say I was – until I met you."

Axel captured Roxas' lips again and thrust his tongue deep inside. Roxas all but melted against him as Axel's hands trailed up his back.

"You drive me a little bit crazy," Axel whispered onto Roxas' lips. He ground his hips upwards, while his hands found purchase on Roxas' shoulders and pulled him down to meet him. Roxas immediately felt Axel's erection rubbing firmly against his own. He groaned at the contact, desperate for more.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," Roxas choked out. Axel's hands firmly grasped at his hips and rubbed against him slowly, beginning a steady, pleasing rhythm.

Roxas reached down and shifted the fabric of his pants away from his straining cock. It bobbed free as his fingers curled hurriedly around the shaft, his hand sliding upward and rubbing over his slit.

"Whoa," Axel breathed, his breaths already ragged. "That is hot."

Roxas breathed out a laugh, his hands now busily popping the button on Axel's jeans. He felt feverish, almost frantic. He had to touch Axel, and _now._ They would have time to go slower later. He didn't mind taking the lead.

He worked the zipper all the way down and pushed the denim away roughly before delving his fingers inside Axel's pants. Axel, not intent on idly sitting by, wrapped a large hand around Roxas' cock, just as Roxas' hand closed firmly around his.

Roxas leaned forward and licked the seam of Axel's lips as they slowly stroked each other. He grinded forwards impatiently, Axel's other hand burying deep into his hair at the back of his head and smashing their lips back together.

Axel's taste, his smell – the sound of him moaning was all driving Roxas crazy. This was too good to be true. His body felt like it was burning up, the sensitive skin between his ass cheeks spiking with pleasure as it rubbed roughly through the thin fabric of his pants and down against Axel's thigh.

"Axel. I need more," He panted onto Axel's lips. Axel's thumb swiped through the pre-cum trickling from Roxas' cock and stroked downwards, his teeth capturing Roxas' bottom lip.

A purposeful hand slid down between Roxas' shoulder blades, down past the curve of his ass and in between his cheeks, pressing meaningfully against him.

Roxas gasped and moaned as he was assaulted from both sides, his hand neglecting Axel's erection as Axel simultaneously pressed in deeper and twisted his hand around his cock. Axel's strong fingers slowly massaged and pressed into Roxas, through the thin fabric of his pants.

" _Oh, God_ …" Axel groaned. He continued to press in deeper then pull back, his fingers rubbing a slow rhythm against Roxas' yielding flesh.

"Lube. We need lube," Roxas whimpered.

Roxas' lips sucked along Axel's neck, his tongue sliding over heated skin as Axel groaned in appreciation. He renewed his attentions to Axel's cock and used both hands, sliding up and down with slow, fluid movements.

He almost cried out from the loss when Axel's hand left him to search frantically down the side of the couch cushions. He found what he was looking for, like he knew well they were there, his hand revealing a small tube of lubricant and a condom.

In spite of himself, Roxas burst into surprised peals of laughter. "Always prepared, huh?"

Axel laughed too, his eyes alive with green fire. He pulled Roxas forward by his shirt, hungrily devouring his still grinning lips.

"Come on, Rox, when you invite someone over to watch movies, you never actually watch the movie," Axel grinned wickedly as his popped the cap on the lubricant and hastily covered his fingers.

"I think you should take off your pants," he whispered hoarsely against Roxas' swollen lips, Roxas shakily moving to comply, his thighs quivering in anticipation.

Axel shoved his jeans down his legs, too, as Roxas eagerly sat back in his lap and pulled his shirt over his head. Roxas grabbed the tube of lubricant and all but crushed it in his fist, before pressing their erections together and completely covering them in cool, silky liquid.

Axel threw his head back against the couch as the contrast between the heated temperature of their skin, and the coolness of the lubricant nearly made him come right there.

Roxas felt Axel's fingers leave a cool trail between his cheeks before finding their ultimate goal. He whimpered into Axel's neck and bit down lightly as two of Axel's fingers gently worked their way inside of him.

God, it had been too long, and Roxas' body craved and remembered this feeling. He pushed back against the fingers as Axel delved in deeper.

"Roxas," Axel whispered. "Tell me what you want." He thrust his fingers in lightly a few times, feeling Roxas quiver against him.

Somewhere through the haze of lust and pleasure, Roxas vaguely remembered that Axel had never done this before.

"Move inside from between my legs," Roxas murmured dazedly. "Then press your fingers inwards towards my balls." He lifted himself up slightly as Axel slipped his fingers out of him and promptly moved his hand in between his legs.

A desperate moan escaped Roxas' lips as Axel thrust his fingers in again, and again, and curved them upwards, rubbing against the spot that would make him see stars.

" _Ah…another_ ," Roxas groaned, as Axel pumped their erections together slowly, fucking Roxas' with his fingers.

Roxas shook his head, his breath coming out in sharp gasps, his arms wrapped tightly around Axel's shoulders. He wasn't going to last at this rate, the pleasure was too much.

Sensing Roxas' desperation, Axel slowly removed his fingers and sought out the condom instead. Roxas' lips found Axel's and they kissed passionately, his fingernails scraping lightly up Axel's neck and across his scalp. Axel moaned and shivered, his tongue sliding hot and fast against Roxas'.

Axel fumbled with the wrapper for what felt like a century before he was able to focus enough and roll the condom down over himself.

Roxas couldn't coherently form words as he raised his hips invitingly and moved forward. Axel sunk lower into the couch and lined himself up, one hand bruising Roxas' hip, the other holding himself at the base. The tip of his cock pressed deliciously against Roxas' entrance.

Not waiting a moment longer, Axel slowly pressed his cock inside Roxas', Roxas crying out softly and quivering in his arms. Roxas didn't stop moving though – couldn't stop, as he slid Axel all the way inside of him, stretching him open and filling him deep.

They stayed like that for a few moments, catching their breath and just _feeling._ Roxas' hands roamed over the planes of Axel's back and shoulders as their lips met in a soft kiss.

"I can't live without you, Roxas," Axel panted. "Say you'll be mine."

Roxas sucked at Axel's bottom lip and subtly moved his hips.

"I'm already yours."

Axel gasped at the sensations shooting along his cock and racing up his spine. Roxas had had sex before, but nothing as intense as this.

" _Axel…"_ Roxas pleaded, his legs trembling weakly.

Axel didn't need any further encouragement. He lifted Roxas up, the tip of his cock just barely still inside before letting Roxas sink slowly back down. They both groaned with pleasure, Axel slowly beginning a smooth, deep rhythm that would bring them to completion.

Roxas gripped the back of the couch for support as he levered himself up and down on Axel's cock, his movements becoming more frantic, his breaths rushing out in quick pants.

" _Roxas…"_ Axel gasped, his eyes barely open, but just enough to see Roxas' beautiful face twisting in the throes of their passion. His hands jerked roughly at Roxas' hips – bruising him – marking him. Roxas couldn't hold it any longer as Axel thrust deeper and deeper inside of him, before he gasped out a weak cry and squeezed his eyes closed. A powerful orgasm surged its way along his spine and tingled through his very hair follicles. His cock, all but neglected in their rush for release, hadn't needed the extra stimulation, and shot white, silken fluid all over Axel's shirt.

Watching Roxas completely lose it, sent Axel over the edge moments later, his cock driving in as deep as it could go, his hands moving to grip tight around Roxas' ass.

" _Unnggh…"_ Axel choked out, thrusting in one last time and holding still, his cock releasing inside of Roxas' tight, warm heat.

They caught their breath slowly, Axel still buried deep within Roxas as the two slowly joined their lips in sated bliss.

The desperation was gone, leaving only the desire to feel each other close.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven.**

It was nearing midday after they'd finished, but Roxas couldn't have cared less. He and Axel had barely had the energy left to do anything, but pull off the spent condom and lurch wearily into the main bedroom. It was cool and dark, Roxas immediately pulling the covers over them and wrapping himself tightly around Axel before falling into a deep, contented sleep.

He woke up some hours later, muted sunlight still visible around the edges of Axel's block out curtains. Roxas disentangled himself from Axel's warm arms before slowly taking in the other man's peaceful features. Axel wasn't a messy sleeper per se, but it looked like he was quite the snorer when he was dead tired. Roxas imagined that Axel had probably drunk a lot last night, and then having been forced to drive home so early, would have already worn him out, not to mention the overly enthusiastic sex.

Axel's eyebrows crinkled slightly, one of his hands unconsciously reaching up and scratching along the ridge of his nose. He inched closer to Roxas, a strong arm immediately wrapping itself around his waist and pulling him close.

Roxas didn't mind one bit. It'd been a while since he'd had a boyfriend, and it had definitely been a while since he'd met someone as attractive as Axel. They had effortlessly become friends when they'd first met, and now they had effortlessly become lovers. He couldn't have been happier.

Roxas wondered what the time was, and felt a little bit hungry. He revelled in how safe he felt here. Even with so many unanswered questions about Zexion, Having Axel beside him made Roxas feel invincible.

He cuddled closer into Axel's embrace, his leg inadvertently rubbing against Axel's flaccid cock. Roxas felt it twitch in response, and immediately felt hungry for something else.

He slid his hand down the warm skin of Axel's back, skirted around a jutting hip and briefly massaged between his legs. Axel groaned softly, responding to Roxas' ministrations.

His eyes already glazed over, Roxas laughed softly at the expression on Axel's sleeping face before moving down his body and pressing his hips down. Axel still half asleep, didn't put up much resistance and easily rolled onto his back.

If Axel was a man that didn't enjoy being woken up with a blow job, they couldn't be together, Roxas thought sagely, as he settled himself between Axel's thighs. Axel's cock was inches from his face and his warm breath ghosted over it as he reached out with one hand and stroked firmly from tip to base. He grasped the quickly thickening erection and wrapped his lips around the head, swirling his tongue. Axel, still with his eyes closed, gasped quietly and buried a large hand into Roxas' unruly hair.

Not needing any further encouragement, Roxas licked from Axel's balls to his slit and sunk his mouth over the head, slowly sliding down and taking in as much as he could. His saliva came readily, Axel's distinctive scent sending his senses into overdrive, his own cock already achingly hard.

One hand massaged Axel's balls, while the other held his cock steady, Roxas beginning a strong rhythm that would make Axel's toes curl. It wasn't long before Axel was more actively participating, both hands buried in Roxas' hair, his hips pumping and cock thrusting, deep inside the wet bliss between Roxas' lips.

" _Holy shit,"_ Axel's voice hoarsely called out as he ripped Roxas' mouth away from around him. He pulled Roxas upwards and forwards, coaxing him onto his knees. Roxas, anticipating what Axel wanted, threw open the bedside drawer so hard half the contents spilled out, his fingers frantically scrabbling around for the lubricant.

Roxas braced himself against the bed's head board, Axel pressing wet kisses up along his back and between his shoulder blades as he pushed two fingers inside the Roxas' tight heat.

"Don't – don't wait," Roxas gasped, feeling the third finger and relaxing, his hand pumping his own cock, begging for release.

He felt Axel move closer into him before a hot touch at his entrance had him holding his breath. Axel pushed in and kept going until his balls fit against the curve of Roxas' ass, his moist lips panting and kissing into Roxas' neck.

Axel groaned with the effort, pulled out and pushed roughly back in, Roxas' neck snapping back at the sensations coursing through his body. There was no slowness to Axel's movements; it was a feverish pitch of motion, Roxas pushing back in time to Axel's deep thrusts, using the head board for momentum.

Axel bumped Roxas' hand out of the way and stroked his cock along with every snap of his hips. Roxas moaned as he stuck his ass out further and arched his back, Axel sinking into him just that little bit deeper.

Feeling the change in angle, Axel breathed out a warning, pulled out fluidly and shot his release all over Roxas' back. Roxas, aroused even further by the sound of Axel moaning his name followed moments later, Axel's hand sliding perfectly over and around his erection, fondling his balls softly.

Roxas sunk down onto the bed, his forehead resting against the cool leather of the head board. His breath still came in sharp gasps as the last of his orgasm raced through his veins, his thighs trembling in the sheets.

He was vaguely aware of Axel wiping the come off his back then dragging him down to lie next to him. They kissed slowly, with all the time in the world, hands and fingers trailing and touching everywhere; their legs intertwined comfortably.

"How did you know my favourite way to wake up?" Axel murmured, his tongue teasing the sensitive skin behind Roxas' ear.

Roxas laughed. "Had to do something, your snoring was killing me."

Axel snorted and rolled off of him. He stood up and stretched slowly, his arms flung above his head. Roxas lazily took in Axel's toned physique, eyes sliding like water over his chest and hips.

"Like what you see?" Axel's grin was pure wickedness. He didn't wait for an answer, but reached across the sheets for Roxas' hand. He pulled Roxas up off the bed and began leading him towards the bathroom.

They managed to shower and keep their hands to themselves. Well, mostly. Roxas felt like he was sixteen again, his libido barely kept under control. Within seconds of watching soap suds slide down and over Axel's ass cheeks he was rock hard again, and there was that wicked grin of Axel's returning as the man happily got on his knees and sucked Roxas off to completion.

-0-

Seven o'clock found both men happy and sated in the kitchen, Roxas sitting at the breakfast bar downing a cold beer, while Axel ordered them some Thai food for dinner.

He idly noted another mobile sitting on the counter beside a small bowl of nearly rotten fruit. He knew Axel wasn't big on fruit, and wondered why the guy kept buying any in the first place. He was also wondering about the second phone. Axel was saying something about mild panang curry – chicken – not beef, when he saw where Roxas was looking.

He plucked the phone off the bench, scanned its lit screen for messages before unceremoniously dropping it into one of the kitchen drawers.

"Work phone," He murmured to Roxas before speaking louder into his mobile. "Yeah, can I add some duck spring rolls, too?"

Roxas shrugged and took another swig of his beer. It wasn't weird for a person to have a work phone. He'd just never seen Axel using it though, his regular phone being an iPhone 6, while the work phone had been a chunky looking Samsung.

"Delivery thanks, I've got cash." Axel rattled off his address before ending the call and took a long drink from his own bottle of beer. "It's gonna be about twenty minutes," He told Roxas, leaning a hip against the kitchen bench.

"Good. I'm wasting away here," Roxas laughed. He was positively ravenous.

"How long since you've eaten?" Axel leaned over the bench, and smoothed a hand over Roxas' cheek and into his hair. "You look kinda pale."

Roxas had to think about it for a moment. "It would've been yesterday lunch time," he paused. "I was going to cook something when I got home from work, but then…" He trailed off uselessly, a frown marring his features.

Axel slid his hand round to the nape of Roxas' neck and pulled him forwards gently. He pressed a chaste kiss to Roxas' lips. "Don't think about it, Rox."

Roxas' eyes fluttered back open and he smiled reassuringly. "I'm alright, really. Zexion's in custody and I've got you here, so it's really okay."

Axel kissed him again, his lips tasting of beer. "I never liked that bastard. I hope they throw the book at him". He walked around the breakfast bar to sit on the stool beside Roxas.

"I've got to go down to the police station first thing tomorrow morning. Officer Lexaeus wants to go over all the evidence they've compiled against him," Roxas murmured, playing with the label on his beer.

Axel lightly bumped his shoulder against him. "Roxas, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Roxas leaned further into Axel's side and looked into his emerald, green eyes. Axel looked serious, and just a little bit nervous. "I've been thinking about all this shit lately, and what I can do to help you, and now that we're together – I want you to move in with me."

Axel placed his hand over the top of Roxas' and squeezed. "I know this seems quick, or like a hasty decision, but I can't protect you if I'm not around, and I can't have something like this happen again – I just can't."

Roxas searched Axel's eyes and saw the sincerity there. "I'm not gonna lie, Ax, that's moving pretty fast, but –"

Axel went to cut him off, his expression near desperate, but Roxas put his hand over his mouth. " _But,_ I was going to say that I'm probably going to have to break my lease anyway. I don't think I can live there anymore."

At Roxas' admission, Axel immediately quietened. "We can do it Roxas, I know we can." A pause, then, "I've never felt such an affinity with someone before."

Roxas thought for a moment. He'd had heaps of great friends in the past, and some hadn't gone the distance, which is understandable in life as everyone changes. He didn't want Axel to become one of those people, though – that just sailed through his life, and was never seen, nor heard of again. He really didn't want to mess this up because he felt something different for Axel, too. Something he'd never felt with anyone.

He turned to face Axel. "If you're sure it won't mess this up," Roxas waved his hand back and forth between them. "Then, yeah, I'd love to."

And if Roxas had had any doubts before he certainly didn't have any now. Axel's face broke into the biggest, happiest grin he'd ever seen. Axel grabbed Roxas' face with two hands and smashed their lips together. "You won't regret this, Rox, I swear," Axel murmured onto his parted lips.

"We were made for each other…"

-0-

Roxas looked silently down at the photographs placed before him. There was the axe, plain as day, simply left buried in the heavily, splintered door. He supposed Zexion had heard the sirens and had immediately fled the scene. Leaving it suspended like that seemed to make it all the more sinister. The rest of the photographs were grainy images of Zexion seen close to and in various public phone booths around Hollow Bastion. One in particular was a magnified close up, the man's slate blue hair covering the right side of his face, easily distinguishable.

"We've combed through your phone records thoroughly, and the numbers of the public phones that Mister Turner has been caught on surveillance frequenting, match calls made to your home phone and mobile." Officer Lexaeus folded his hands on the table in front of them. "The times match up as well. There are many other numbers of public phones used to call your various contact numbers, but we have been unable to obtain footage at these locations."

"He certainly went to a lot of effort," Roxas mumbled, examining one of the photos of the axe.

"As I made you aware of yesterday, Zexion Turner has already been taken into custody, however interrogating him has been no easy task."

"Why?" Roxas felt the dread settle deep within his stomach.

"Getting him to confess is proving difficult. We have solid evidence that he has been harassing you with frequent phone calls, however we have no proof that he ever entered your place of residence to take photographs of you, or tried to force entry, and seek to harm you."

"You're not saying…?" Roxas blurted out. Officer Lexaeus held up a hand, willing Roxas to let him finish.

"We have already searched his apartment for further evidence, and no camera has been found, or his second mobile phone which would be a particularly damning piece, as one of his mobile numbers appears on your phone records quite frequently." Officer Lexaeus paused and spread his hands flat out on the table. He sighed tiredly. "Look, Roxas, without an admission of guilt, all we can charge Mister Turner with is Intimidation and Stalking, and you can place a restraining order against him. But the bottom line is – he's going free."

Roxas felt sick. This couldn't be happening. "No…."

"There is a way, though – if we can get him to admit to all other charges brought against him, I can promise you he'll see a minimum of five years inside."

"But how?" Roxas demanded. "If he's refusing to talk at all?"

"This is where we'll be needing your help, Roxas." Lexaeus intoned seriously. "Mister Turner has agreed to tell us everything, but only if you are present as well."

Roxas couldn't keep the surprise off his face. His hands sitting in his lap tightened into fists. "He wants me in the room?"

"Yes, otherwise he's promised not to admit to anything. Basically he knows we can't lock him up without an admission."

Roxas thought about it, his eyes staring blankly down at the photographs. He looked into the dark wells of his tormentor's eyes. Zexion was going to walk free? It was completely unbelievable. How could this happen? They'd caught the guy and all the harassment had stopped, and now he'd simply get a slap on the wrist through lack of evidence?

Roxas raised his head and looked directly at Lexaeus. "I'll do it, but I want to be behind glass."

Officer Lexaeus nodded. "That should be fine. I'd prefer it that way for your protection as well."

"Come with me," he requested before leading Roxas out of the small room and through a series of hallways. They made their way through the busy police station and out towards the back where the holding cells and interrogation rooms were situated.

Lexaeus ushered him wordlessly into another small room where Roxas was only minutely surprised to find Detective Saix.

"Roxas, it's been a while," the detective murmured, grasping Roxas' outstretched hand. He immediately turned his attention back towards the large pane of two-way glass in front of him and out to the room beyond. Roxas looked through as well, his eyes instantly landing on Zexion.

Zexion looked exactly how he always had at work – calm, collected and serious. He was sitting on a simple, plastic chair behind a metal desk. His hands were handcuffed on the table before him. Zexion's attention wasn't on the two-way glass pane, but on the pink haired man standing across from him. "I don't believe you," he was saying. "I want to see him."

Roxas' heart beat faster as Zexion's words filtered through the sound system into their half of the room. He knew the man was talking about him.

Officer Lexaeus grasped Roxas' shoulder firmly. "Roxas, I don't need you to go in there, just stand at the door and knock once. Officer Marluxia will open the door, show you to Mister Turner, then you will be able to come back in here."

Roxas nodded in understanding, already moving back towards the door. He felt nervous, but determined. There was no way he was letting Zexion walk free.

He moved through the doorway and immediately turned towards the door beside the one he'd just come out of. He knocked once and waited, holding his breath. He couldn't hear anything on the other side until a lock was sliding back and the door knob was turning. The door was pulled wide and there stood Officer Marluxia, a smirk playing over his lips.

"Ah! Mister Halliday! How lovely for you to join us." Marluxia stepped to the side, clearing Roxas' view into the room, and there was Zexion. Upon seeing Roxas, his eyes went wide and desperate. He clumsily made to stand.

"Roxas –"

"Hey, whoa, whoa," Officer Marluxia laughed out mockingly. "Don't speak to him – you're not here for a catch up."

Marluxia lightly pushed Roxas back, giving him a cheeky wink before promptly closing the door. Roxas let out the breath he didn't realise he'd been holding, Zexion's infatuated stare burned into his mind. He got back into the other half of the room just in time to hear Zexion's protest.

" – in the room with me – that was the deal." He was demanding, as Marluxia walked a slow circle around him.

Marluxia laughed. "You think he wants to be in the same room with you? You've got to be joking, Zexy – he doesn't want a psycho like you anywhere near him."

"Don't call me that," Zexion ground out angrily. He shot Marluxia a dangerous look before turning his attention towards the two-way mirror. Roxas froze in spite of himself. He knew Zexion couldn't see through, but watching the other man's eyes roam sightlessly over him was really unnerving.

"You've seen Mister Halliday, you know he's here listening to you, and that should be enough." Marluxia was saying. "You owe it to the guy to come clean."

The officer stopped his slow circling and leaned on the wall beside Zexion. "So we'll try this again. Where were you on the 26th of September between the hours of midnight and 3.30 in the morning?"

"I was at home, sleeping." Zexion answered without pause. His eyes still stared uselessly into the two-way glass.

"No alibi? Very convenient. Perhaps you were sleepwalking over at Mister Halliday's residence –smashing your way into his house with your eyes closed?" Officer Marluxia examined his nails casually.

"That wasn't me – I don't even know where Roxas lives." Zexion answered angrily.

"Wow! A bad liar as well as a shitty stalker!" Marluxia slammed his hands down onto the table in front of Zexion. The man flinched. "So who was it then, Zexy? The other guy stalking Roxas? The other guy calling his phones for months on end, leaving creepy messages and breathing heavily down the line?"

Zexion didn't fight back instantly this time. Instead he looked sad and ashamed. "Yes, I made those phone calls, but I never went round to his place." He shifted his hands, the handcuffs clinking quietly. He looked defiantly up into Marluxia's face, bare centimetres from his own. "Look – I didn't have a choice, alright? Someone has been blackmailing me since the beginning of May!"

Detective Saix stiffened next to Roxas. Roxas easily heard the man's sharp intake of breath.

Officer Marluxia had a sarcastic reply forthcoming, but Zexion cut him off. "If you check my computer at home, you'll see I'm not lying. I've got emails as proof – someone wanted me to call Roxas – call him a lot. If I didn't do it, they were going to make my life hell," he paused, looking utterly miserable. "Not that that matters now. It's already gone to hell…"

"Did we seize his computer?" Saix asked Lexaeus quietly, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes still riveted through the glass. Officer Lexaeus shuffled through a folder before shaking his head. "It says here that there was no computer present. However they did find cords and a keyboard, suggesting he may have gotten rid of the tower and screen prior to his arrest."

The detective didn't answer.

Officer Marluxia was speaking again. "Okay, so say I believe your terribly convenient story. Why would someone want to blackmail you?"

Zexion paused and looked down at his hands. "My mother has been battling Leukaemia for a number of years now. She couldn't afford the treatments and neither could I, but I was working as an accountant for a large company at the time, and I…" He shook his head sadly. "I siphoned tens of thousands of dollars into an overseas bank account, and used the money to pay my mother's hospital bills."

Zexion finally looked up, staring fiercely into Marluxia's eyes. "I'm not proud of it, but I didn't know what else to do. My mother means everything to me, and I was desperate to help her. I don't know how this person found out, but they started sending me emails with information I knew wasn't public knowledge. I knew I'd see jail time if I was exposed and I panicked. I work with Roxas, and he's a great person and I never meant to hurt him – I just did what the person wanted me to. My mother is still very sick. If I went to jail no one would be able to look after her."

Marluxia pushed off the table's surface and began pacing the room again. "Your life could be made into a movie, Zexion – truly."

Zexion's expression hardened.

"I guess we'll have to fetch your computer. See if there's some truth to your tale of woe," Marluxia was flippantly saying. "We're still looking for one of your mobile phones, too, I should add – a Samsung C52-12?"

Zexion clenched his hands restlessly. "That phone was stolen from me nearly five months ago now. That's why I purchased a new one. I have no idea where it would be."

"Really?" Officer Marluxia raised his eyebrows in mock seriousness. "Stolen, you say? _Five months ago,_ but then, why would you still be paying the bills for it, if someone else has it?"

"I –!" Zexion breathed out a long, tired sigh. "It's full of photos of my mother…when she was better. I know someone is using it, because I get the phone bills – and yes, I've been paying them because I'm hoping to get the phone back someday. Sometimes I call or text them, hoping they'll listen to me and return it."

"I find that particularly odd, since _this person_ who has your phone could be using it for absolutely anything – racking up exorbitant bills downloading videos of cats, lesbian porn, pictures of – "

Zexion cut Marluxia off sharply, "I know this seems like some sort of big, _elaborate_ scheme to you, but I've told you people nothing but the truth." Here he looked past Marluxia towards the two-way glass, his eyes aimlessly searching once again. "I never wanted Roxas to get hurt and I mean that."

For a brief minute Zexion's eyes locked straight onto Roxas' and held his gaze, almost as if he could see him.

"This is looking less than promising," Officer Lexaeus murmured beside Roxas. "Without his computer we can't validate his blackmailing allegation, and without a confession we won't be able to put him away."

"It's certainly an elaborate story," Detective Saix answered. "He's either telling the truth, or he's an excellent liar."

Officer Lexaeus scrubbed at his chin with a large, calloused hand. He looked defeated. "He knows we can't continue to detain him without further evidence. I would imagine that is why he hasn't requested a Lawyer present."

Roxas felt the familiar weight of dread settle deep into the pit of his stomach. Zexion's story did seem fairly farfetched. Why was half of his computer set up missing? And who the hell pays a phone bill for a stolen phone? Zexion either really loved his mother, or he was just using her as a scapegoat. Roxas wasn't stupid. He realised that the police didn't have enough evidence to convict Zexion, and if he _was_ lying and walked free – nothing would stop him from coming after him again. Zexion would easily finish what he had started, and maybe he'd come after Axel now, too.

He had to do something.

"Can I speak to him?" Roxas looked up at Officer Lexaeus expectantly. Lexaeus looked down at him, his expression that of mild surprise. Roxas briefly thought that as the intense scene before them unfolded, the two police officers had probably forgotten he was there.

"If he is the one behind all of this, he's desperate for me to be continuously involved. That's why he wanted me here now." Roxas continued. "We're can't be sure of his motives exactly, but maybe I can get him to talk."

Officer Lexaeus mulled Roxas' words over for a few moments. He made his decision quickly. "If you're comfortable in being in the same room with him, then I'm willing to try it. If he'll admit anything more to you, or slip up and say something damning, it'll be the breakthrough we need."

A grim smile ghosted over Roxas' lips as he nodded in agreement and once again moved towards the door. Detective Saix remained silent, a heavy frown blanketing his features as he continued to examine Zexion through the glass.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

Roxas knocked loudly on the interrogation room's door and counted the seconds. Officer Marluxia opened the door and wordlessly moved aside for him to enter. Officer Lexaeus had already conveyed the change in the plan through Marluxia's mobile. The police officer stood off to the side, gesturing for Roxas to take a seat.

Zexion drew in a sharp breath on seeing Roxas again, but made no move to stand like before. He clasped his hands tightly in front of him on the metal table.

As Roxas sat down in the identical plastic chair in front of him, Zexion immediately began pleading.

"Roxas, you have to believe me," his eyes were wide, anxious. "I called you, but I only did it because I was threatened. I'd never hurt you – I've never swung an axe in my life."

Roxas frowned and looked away from Zexion's intense stare. He splayed out the photographs of the axe in the door that he'd brought in with him from Officer Lexaeus. Zexion's eyes flicked down at them, taking the images in. "How could you do this, Zexion?" Roxas murmured quietly, the hurt and apprehension clear on his face. "I know we're not close, but what did I ever do to you, to deserve this?"

Instead of looking guilty or ashamed, Zexion just looked disappointed. "You don't believe me," he deadpanned, his hands trembling lightly in their handcuffs.

Roxas shook his head sadly. "I want to, I really do, and you say there's the proof of you being blackmailed on your computer, but your computer tower is missing." Zexion's eyes widened in disbelief. Roxas continued, "At the moment there's more evidence that you _did_ do this to me, rather than you didn't."

"That's impossible," Zexion was murmuring, staring down at his hands. "My computer tower shouldn't be missing – no part of it should be." He looked up at Roxas desperately. "I used it the night before I was arrested!"

"It just all seems too perfect, Zexion. We haven't worked together for long, but I know you're highly intelligent, and it's certainly a well thought out plan. All I really want to know is _why?_ " It was Roxas' turn to look pleading. Officer Marluxia was right – it was all too convenient and Zexion had obviously thought out every possible ending to this nightmare, and now all Roxas wanted to know was why his co-worker would do this to him in the first place? Harass him endlessly for months, break him down mentally and then attempt to kill him. This entire situation was completely surreal.

"Roxas – please listen to me –" Zexion began, but was cut off by a loud, resonating knock at the door.

"What is it now?" Marluxia rolled his eyes and grumbled as he made his way over to the door and unlocked it. On the other side stood another police officer. He held a cordless phone within his hand.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sir, but I have an urgent phone call for Mister Zexion Turner."

Zexion immediately tensed.

"We are in the middle of an interrogation – can it not wait?" Officer Marluxia barked, his hand already moving to close the door in the other man's face.

"No Sir, it can't! This man has kept continuously calling until we agreed to put him through to Mister Turner. He says it's an emergency – concerning Mister Turner's mother."

"My mother!?" Zexion demanded, his voice sounding hoarse. He stood abruptly, throwing the chair off balance. Roxas jumped in fright as the plastic back-rest clattered against the floor.

"Fine, fine," Marluxia bit out. He snatched the portable phone out of the anxious officer's hand. "Sit down, Turner." He ordered harshly as he once again pulled the door shut and slid the deadbolt in place.

Zexion made no move to pick up his fallen chair. He held out his cuffed hands expectantly for the phone. Roxas idly wondered if Marluxia would unlock the handcuffs, but he didn't. He pressed the phone into Zexion's hand and once again leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.

Zexion raised the phone easily to his ear, his other hand gripping the bottom of the device. "Zexion Turner speaking," he breathed out, as the other two men in the room waited.

Roxas felt the hair on the back of his neck rise at the look on Zexion's face. The man had looked worried at first, but now an expression of absolute terror raced across his features.

"No…" Zexion all but whispered. "Please – not my mother…" He begged quietly, his hands clutching at the phone like it could save his life. Roxas felt sick, he could feel his palms sweating in his lap. Something was very wrong here. Zexion was shaking his head, his eyes wide and seeing nothing. "Please – I can't – !" The man jumped as the line suddenly went dead. Roxas jumped, too, confused and uneasy about the unsettling, one-sided conversation.

Zexion lowered the phone slowly, staring down at the small ID screen in disbelief. He shifted slightly, his leg pushing against a leg of the fallen chair. It scraped loudly across the floor, breaking the spell the three men seemed to be held under.

"Why is this happening to me?" Zexion murmured, still staring down at the phone in his hands. "Why…my mother…not my mother…"

Suddenly, Zexion's head jerked up. He started intently at Roxas. Roxas could feel his heart beating in his throat as he stared helplessly into Zexion's eyes. Where there was once shock and fear in Zexion's expression – there was now only anger, his eyes wide and deranged.

"You…" Zexion a whispered. "This is all your fault!" he yelled across the small space. Roxas flinched away from him, his nerves electrified and screaming at him to run.

"Why did you have to move here?" The unhinged man gritted his teeth. "You're getting a promotion, Roxas – did you know?" Zexion bit out, the words dripping with sarcasm. He pressed his hands still gripping the phone roughly against his chest. " _My promotion!_ "

Roxas threw his chair back and scrambled to get away, the breath stalling in his heaving lungs. It was all finally making sense. Maybe some of Zexion's story about his mother being ill and desperately needing money was true, but there was no longer any doubt in his mind that Zexion had been the one behind everything.

The man was an excellent liar – a practiced schemer, and he was going to make Roxas pay.

"That's enough, Turner!" Officer Marluxia barked loudly. He immediately moved to restrain the unstable man, but Zexion was ready for him and lightning fast. He whipped around to face Marluxia, taking him completely by surprise and slammed both of his balled fists into his unguarded face.

Marluxia hadn't even hit the ground yet and Zexion was already advancing on a petrified Roxas. He wrapped his hands tightly around Roxas' neck and shoved him harshly up against the glass window. His fingers violently squeezed, Roxas' eyes flying wide with unadulterated fear. His fingers scrabbled uselessly at Zexion's tightening hold around his throat.

"Why couldn't you just quit your job and move away, like a good little boy?" Zexion whispered harshly into his face. "Why did you have to involve the police?"

Roxas couldn't have looked away if he tried, Zexion's eyes, mere centimetres away, were boring straight into his own. He coughed and choked feebly, his lungs already screaming for oxygen. " _You ruined my life,_ " Zexion bit out, throttling him harder and shaking him sharply. The handcuffs were biting into Roxas' skin.

Somewhere to his left, Roxas heard a door slamming open and suddenly he could breathe again, his lungs near bursting as he sucked in a desperate breath. His vision was swimming and his throat throbbed along to his racing heartbeat. Roxas' legs gave way from under him and he slid down the wall in shock, both of his hands pressed lightly against his aching neck. Officer Lexaeus and Detective Saix had both shoved their way into the room and tackled Zexion off of him. Lexaeus hovered over Roxas briefly while Saix had Zexion pinned against the wall, a strong forearm shoved up underneath the man's chin; the detective's other arm restraining Zexion's arms.

"Are you alright?" Officer Lexaeus was saying to Roxas. Roxas nodded numbly as two more police officers burst into the room to help restrain the still struggling Zexion. He took Lexaeus' offered hand and allowed the bigger man to pull him upright.

Roxas leaned up against the wall as he and Lexaeus silently watched the two police officers muscle Zexion out of the room. Zexion was studiously not looking at Roxas, but Roxas could still see the expression on his face. The anger from moments before seemed to have all but dissipated, leaving weary resignation in its wake. Roxas supposed Zexion was finally coming to terms with his inescapable fate. Officer Marluxia groaned audibly and shakily pulled himself to his feet. Beside them, Detective Saix quietly picked up the two overturned plastic chairs and righted them.

Relief so strong washed over Roxas he nearly swooned as he watched his tormentor walk through the door and out of sight, hopefully for the last time. He never wanted to see Zexion again for the rest of his days. He rubbed gently at the bruises steadily appearing around his neck. They were going to be hard to explain away to Axel. Axel had wanted to accompany him, but he had convinced him it would all be fine.

"I'm sorry you've gotten hurt, but we got the result we needed." Officer Lexaeus clapped a large hand down onto Roxas' shoulder and gave him a wry smile. "I think you'd do well in this line of work."

Roxas actually laughed. He felt giddy with the knowledge of Zexion seeing the inside of a prison cell – his twisted mind games finally coming to an end. "Maybe with some basic self-defence classes."

Detective Saix moved to stand beside them, his expression as serious as always. He looked towards the open doorway. "A convenient conclusion to a convenient scheme..."

-0-

Sora looked up from his phone when Roxas plopped down in front of him, Roxas' ridiculous grin still firmly in place.

"Well someone looks happy," Sora teased lightly, but then his eyes dropped to Roxas' neck and his answering grin swiftly slid off his face. "God, Roxas – what happened to your neck!?"

Roxas rubbed at the bruises self-consciously, but still smiled gently. He flagged down a nearby waitress.

"Just battle scars," Roxas croaked. His voice was a little bit strained from his neck still feeling so sore. He'd only left the police station half an hour ago. "I can finally get a good night's sleep without the phone ringing fifty-million times."

Sora scoffed. "Yeah, Riku told me about some guy harassing you – would've liked to have heard it from you, though!"

Roxas shrugged. "It escalated pretty quickly. Just last week it wasn't worth mentioning." The waitress swiftly wandered over and took his order for a mango smoothie. He settled more comfortably in the booth while Sora simultaneously tried to drain his chocolate milkshake and order another one.

"So what happened? Did the cops get the guy?"

Roxas relayed the events of the last couple of days to Sora while he fiddled distractedly with the collar of his button down shirt. He flipped it up around his neck and fluffed at his hair, trying to see in his phone's camera whether it was doing a good job at hiding the bruising or not. "Is that working for me?"

Sora propped his chin up on his hand and leaned forwards slightly, getting a closer look. "Mm, not really. You've got a 'just rolled out of bed' look happening now." He frowned. "That sounds pretty messed up, Roxas. Are you sure you're okay?"

Roxas sighed and resignedly flipped his collar back down. "No, really, I'm great. The guy behind it all was a guy from work. It took a bit to get it out of him, but he was harassing me because I was threatening his chances of getting promoted." He gestured towards the bruising. "When he finally 'fessed up, he just lost it. It all happened so fast…it was shocking really. Up until that point I was kind of half thinking they'd arrested the wrong guy."

"Why were you even in the same room? What were the cops thinking?" Sora demanded angrily, the fingers of his left hand squeezing tight around his empty milkshake glass.

"It wasn't the cop's fault, I asked to go in there with him. The arsehole wouldn't admit to anything until I spoke to him, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let him get away with it."

Sora deflated a little, still looking serious. "That's good he can't come after you anymore. I had no idea any of this was going on. If I'd known I would've taken your call the other night…I'm really sorry, Rox."

Roxas smiled reassuringly. "Don't be. Honestly, I had no idea it was going to get that bad."

They paused for a moment as the waitress returned with their drinks and set the tall glasses down in front of them. Sora immediately brought the straw up to his lips and sighed contentedly. Roxas did the same, but drank slowly; the cool, sweet smoothie soothing his aching throat.

"If your place is still a crime scene, where have you been staying? You're not in a hotel are you?" Sora questioned, speaking around the straw still held between his lips.

Roxas felt his cheeks warm slightly and felt absolutely mortified. What the hell was he – a virgin on his wedding night? Sora's eyes gleamed, his interest at Roxas' reaction peaked.

"I've been staying at Axel's place," Roxas rasped out, meeting Sora's amused smirk head on.

"Yeah, and what's with that reaction?" Sora mused, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, don't tell me…?"

"We – ah, we're a thing now," Roxas barked a short laugh and immediately regretted it. He took another long pull of his smoothie, his throat instantly felt a lot better.

"Are you serious!?" Sora shouted excitedly, the previous dark mood all but forgotten at Roxas' sudden revelation. "You turned a straight guy?" He exclaimed, spilling some of his milkshake onto the table.

Roxas rubbed at the back of his neck feeling a little bit bashful. "Yeah, I guess I kind of did. We've been close friends for ages, but all this drama with Zexion kind of just pushed us together."

Sora laughed. "Man, what did I tell you, Roxas? I said you guys had chemistry – I knew you were meant to be together."

Roxas rolled his eyes but still grinned happily. "Don't start one of your ' _destiny_ 'rants, you lunatic."

A look of mock hurt crossed Sora's face as he pressed a hand flat against his chest over his heart. "How dare you?" He gasped in outrage. "I'll have you know that destiny is a very, _very_ real thing. You can't fight it, Rox."

Roxas snorted in answer. He barely refrained from rolling his eyes again, and instead remembered something else he was dying to hear about. "Since we're now on the subject of _fated destiny,_ how's Riku going?"

Sora's eyes immediately lit up like a kid's on Christmas morning. "Oh, Roxas you have no idea how great he is," he gushed, going all starry eyed. "We only went out on one date before he asked me to be his boyfriend, and I couldn't even help breaking my 'no sex on the first date' rule."

"Ew." Roxas deadpanned. He didn't need to picture that.

Sora ignored him. "We were definitely meant to be, Rox, no doubt in my mind. From the moment I met him I felt like we'd always known each other; it was just so easy and comfortable."

Roxas swirled the last of his smoothie, thinking carefully over Sora's words. It was funny, but that's exactly what he thought about himself and Axel. Maybe there was more to this 'destiny' stuff then he originally thought. It certainly was a romantic connotation to think that he and Axel were made for each other.

"After our first date I went to see Merlin about Riku and he all but confirmed it!" Sora breathed, his eyes dreamy and far away. "He told me that Riku and I had been endlessly chasing each other through alternate dimensions and through time itself – that we'd come a long way just to finally be together again. Isn't that amazing?"

At the mention of Merlin, Roxas was immediately having second thoughts about going along with all this fate and destiny mumbo-jumbo. Merlin was a self-proclaimed psychic who lived on the outskirts of Traverse Town in a little old, dilapidated shack, who Sora was forever visiting, seeking advice. As wilful as ever, Sora had only managed to drag him along once, and that had been more than enough. They had been inside the man's shack for all of five minutes before Merlin had told Roxas that Sora had once been his missing half and held half of his heart. If that hadn't been mortifying enough the old crack-pot had gone on to inform Roxas that a 'flurry of dancing flames' was waiting for him.

What. the. _fuck?_

"Sounds pretty intense," Roxas replied, trying to keep the lilt of sarcasm out of his voice. Sora was ridiculous, but Roxas wouldn't have him any other way.

Sora's eyes narrowed in response, but his tenacious grin was still firmly in place. "Well, destiny or no destiny, I can definitely see us being together for a while," he conceded, draining the last of his milkshake.

"You should see him without a shirt on, Roxas. _Ungh!_ " Sora bit at his lip lasciviously and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, as if praying for salvation.

"Wow." Roxas deadpanned again, thoroughly grossed out by the face Sora was making.

Sora took one look at Roxas' horrified expression, and promptly threw back his head and laughed his heart out. Eventually he calmed himself down and quickly changed the subject. "So when do I get to meet the love of your life?"

Roxas snorted so hard he nearly hurt himself and Sora started laughing again. "We could go out for dinner or something? Maybe later in the week?" He forcefully croaked out, his throat throbbing painfully. It was time to go home and put ice on it.

"Yeah sounds good. I'll have to ask Riku and see when we're free," Sora replied, wiping away tears of mirth.

Roxas stood, Sora following close behind as they began making their way to the back of the café to pay for their drinks. "I'll text you when I know what we're doing, too. We'll work something out."

They weaved their way around countless other tables and stood in the queue for the register. Sora turned to Roxas and smiled mischievously. " _Ooo_ , a double date – how domesticated."

Roxas started laughing in response but his throat was really having none of it. He broke off abruptly, choking painfully on a cough.

"Does Axel know about those yet?" Sora asked, gesturing towards the darkening bruises that had become more visible around Roxas' neck.

Roxas shook his head, one hand rubbing soothingly over the marks.

Sora hummed, his lips lifted into a wry smile. "Man, if someone did that to Riku, there's no telling what I would do."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine.**

A week later found Roxas still ridiculously happy as he sat in Detective Saix' office waiting for the other man to join him. It seemed Zexion had realised his mistake in losing his temper and had admitted to all the charges brought against him. Roxas still idly wondered who had been on the other end of the phone to make Zexion react the way that he did. Perhaps his mother had taken a turn for the worse? He briefly felt sorry for the man, but pushed the feelings away bare milliseconds later. As far as he was concerned, Zexion had gotten what he deserved.

The threat was over with Zexion facing a lengthy prison sentence, but Roxas had still moved in with Axel, happy to leave his rental house far behind. He hadn't been living there very long, and it had been a nice enough place, but Roxas really wanted to leave all the bad memories behind. It'd been a good idea having a fresh start, and things had been so great with Axel he could hardly believe his luck. Every morning he got to wake up cuddled into his best friend – every evening he came home to his attentive, perfect lover. Just the thought alone made him smile harder.

"Roxas, sorry to keep you waiting," Detective Saix broke through Roxas' train of thought and stepped into the small office. He shook Roxas' outstretched hand, staring intently into his eyes. It didn't matter how many times Roxas met with this man, his intense golden eyes still managed to unnerve him.

"Not a problem," Roxas replied easily. He sat back in his seat as the detective settled himself behind the large, wooden desk between them. Roxas wondered if the man ever really spent much time in the small, cramped space. There were papers and books strewn everywhere, wherever there was an accommodating surface. For a man with such a stiff upper lip, Roxas was surprised to find the detective's work place so cluttered and disorganised.

Saix was shifting around with something by his feet for a few moments, before lifting a small black laptop into view. He placed the laptop between them on the desk, opening up the screen and positioning it facing Roxas. "Thanks for coming in today. I wanted some time to discuss your case with you in more detail."

The laptop was already powered on and paused on a grainy video recording. Roxas immediately recognised Zexion on the screen, sitting frozen in another interrogation room, and intently focussed his attention as Saix wordlessly clicked on the play button.

A man outside of the camera's frame spoke, his voice instantly filling the small room.

"How were you gaining access to Mister Halliday's residence?"

In answer, Zexion sighed explosively and rubbed at his eyes. "What does that even matter? I've already told you what you wanted to hear," he said tiredly. "Yes, I took photos of Roxas, I wore gloves holding the axe, I did everything – everything!" He leaned his elbows on the table and framed his head with his hands, staring intently down at the metal surface before him. "Isn't that enough?"

"I'm afraid not, Mister Turner. We're going to be here for a long time if you keep refusing to answer my questions."

Zexion shook his head slowly, his hands moving to cover his face. "Here for a long time? You're not facing five years in prison. Don't talk to me about 'a long time'."

There was a pause as Zexion collected himself again and leaned back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling with his hands resting in his lap. He looked miserable and defeated. Roxas hoped the twisted man finally realised just how wrong his behaviour had been. He was briefly surprised Zexion wasn't pleading insanity. Roxas could believe it, if he did. Zexion was obviously unhinged.

Detective Saix leaned over towards the laptop's keys and pressed the fast forward button, Roxas watching the video snap nearly all the way to the end before the other man hit play again. Zexion was talking.

"I've been working for Kingdom Hearts Media Solutions for nearly two years now. Roxas works there for a handful of months and already gets shortlisted for a promotion. I'd overheard two colleagues talking about considering me previously, but Roxas' performance had been better." Zexion was staring intently across the table at the other person still off screen. He looked even more exhausted than he had before. His voice was that of resignation and extreme reluctance. Roxas could tell he didn't want to talk.

"My mother has cancer. Her medical bills have forced me to take out two mortgages on my home. I need the money." He scrubbed a weary hand through his hair. "I never intended on killing him – I just wanted to scare him out of town..." Zexion fell silent and looked angrily down at the metal table again. He shifted agitatedly in his seat. Roxas was sure he could see him lightly trembling.

The man off screen continued the interrogation. "About the call you received on the 27th of September while being questioned by Officer Marluxia. What was the call in relation to and who was the person calling you?"

Roxas throat constricted unconsciously as Zexion's entire demeanour changed. He froze in his chair for a split second and his eyes momentarily widened before closing altogether, shutting the room out completely. "That was my brother," he said with conviction, his voice wavering slightly.

"We are aware that the caller on the phone also identified himself as your brother, but we have since learned that you do not have any siblings. I'll ask you again – what was the call in relation to and who was the person calling you?"

Zexion seemed to curl in on himself and once again pressed his face into his hands. He shook his head despairingly. "…My…my mother. She's very sick," he whispered out hoarsely. "She's so sick…I can't, I can't…" He continued to shake his head, all but slumping over the metal table. "I just can't."

Detective Saix quietly leaned forward and closed the laptop's screen. Roxas sat back in his chair and shifted nervously. He hadn't realised he'd been on the edge of his seat, so intent on hearing Zexion's answers.

Roxas felt uneasy. Zexion's behaviour wasn't making sense, and he assumed the detective across from him was thinking something similar. Why else would Saix show him this?

"I have a theory, Roxas, and I want you to humour me," Saix said quietly. He leaned back in his chair, his amber eyes trained intently on Roxas.

"I've shown you this recording because I want your honest opinion on what I'm about to say, and I need you to have an open mind about it. Consider everything you've just seen and heard."

"Okay," Roxas answered, a little uncertainly. He didn't understand why his heart was attempting to beat its way out of his chest.

"I believe that the person who called Zexion on the 27th of September, while in the midst of being questioned by Officer Marluxia, was the person that was blackmailing him through his emails."

Roxas thought for a few moments, the words turning and swirling through his head. "So, what you're saying is…someone else has forced Zexion into admitting to something he didn't do…and…"

Saix was nodding slowly. "And has been pulling the strings from the shadows all this time."

Roxas was in shock. He didn't want to consider that there was a psychopath still out there – still free to come after him when he'd been so sure it'd been Zexion.

"But – all the calls have stopped, and what about how he physically assaulted me?" Roxas couldn't, no, he _wouldn't_ believe it. It was simply beyond comprehension.

"Zexion Turner's mother is indeed very ill, and he said so himself – if he was to go to prison there would be no one left to take care of her. I can imagine that in his disbelief at facing time behind bars he misdirected his anger towards you, as being the reason behind this happening to him."

"His behaviour does come across as strange to me, but he freely admitted he'd wanted me to quit my job while he had his hands around my neck." Roxas folded his arms across his chest, remembering the harsh feel of Zexion's fingers squeezing the life from him. "All the calls have stopped, everything has stopped. I haven't had so much as a missed call on any of my phones since Zexion was arrested. Imagining someone was acting through him to get to me doesn't seem plausible at this stage."

The detective was silent for a few moments, the two men quietly regarding each other.

"Roxas," Saix began, "Putting all the evidence together, it plainly points out that the behavioural attributes that the person harassing you was displaying, are all the hallmarks of someone who has possessive and manipulative tendencies. Everything this person did up to a point in time was designed to break down your defences and mental strength – to make you feel increasingly vulnerable, and most certainly paranoid. You would have been unknowingly manipulated for months, with the assailant keeping close to you, so as to know when to make their final move."

"His final move being what, exactly? To make me leave my job?" Roxas stubbornly refused to acknowledge they were no longer talking about Zexion.

"I don't believe that was what this person was after. It was a clever plan, and whether they succeeded or not, I still don't know. You're holding all the missing pieces, Roxas."

"What do you mean?" Roxas quavered. He knew what the detective was going to say, before he even started moving his lips.

"I'm going to ask you this again. Has anyone become exceptionally close to you in the last couple of months?" Saix words hung in the air between them, Roxas entire body going still.

"This isn't the first case I've seen like this, Roxas," Saix all but whispered. "And if I'm certain of anything, it's that this person never intended to kill you, or run you out of your job. They wanted to ensnare you, in a beautifully constructed cage."

Unbidden to his mind, Roxas imagined Axel standing before him, his beautiful, sunny smile playing handsomely over his lips. He imagined Axel's burning, green eyes, and his strong arms winding around him protectively.

He imagined Axel standing over him while he slept unaware, bringing a camera up to his eyes. He imagined Axel slowly dragging an axe along his rough wooden fence, a manic grin twisting his features. He imagined Axel slamming the axe repeatedly through his laundry door.

Roxas felt the tips of his ears redden in embarrassment and shame as he quickly dismissed the hurtful thoughts from his mind. How could he doubt Axel? How could he even imagine that his best friend and lover would do something like that to him? Axel didn't even have a reason to begin with – Roxas knew he'd managed to keep his growing affections for his best friend a secret but any idiot would've seen his adoration for Axel in his eyes. Axel would have easily known that if he wanted to, he could make Roxas his. He didn't have to smash down laundry doors and leave creepy photographs to do it!

"There really isn't anyone. Well, no one that would do this to me anyway." He coughed around the dry lump wedged in his throat.

Saix just gave him a pointed look that spoke volumes. "So your answer would be yes." He murmured, his eyes never leaving Roxas'.

Roxas held his tongue. It certainly wouldn't be Axel, so as far as he was concerned, Saix was at a dead end.

"I have grown close to someone since moving here, yes, but he would never do this to me. There's no doubt in my mind." He eventually admitted, his voice ringing with finality. He shifted restlessly in the uncomfortable wooden chair.

"I can't help those who aren't willing." Saix replied shortly and stood up. Roxas realised that their meeting was coming to an end. "Mister Zexion Turner has confessed to all crimes committed against you, and without your interference he will be receiving the maximum penalty." They shook hands firmly as Roxas once again felt himself trapped deep within Saix' unnerving eyes. "I just hope, for your sake as well, that we've imprisoned the right person."

-0-

Roxas drove his car home to his and Axel's in an uneasy silence. He'd turned the radio off in favour of sorting out the tumultuous thoughts wreaking havoc through his mind. He was half convinced Zexion was innocent, and just another victim in someone else's intricate machinations, and the other half convinced that no, he'd done the right thing in sending his former co-worker to prison. Zexion had been telling lies, had tried to cover his tracks and avoid throwing away five years of his life. Yes, his mother was ill, and he'd targeted Roxas because Roxas had been chosen for a promotion that he so desperately needed – not because someone was forcing him to, through blackmailing emails. It was reading like a movie script and Roxas was fairly convinced it was all a little too farfetched.

He knew Detective Saix was hell bent on accusing Axel as the mastermind behind all of this so called plot against him, but Roxas knew there was no way that could be possible. If Zexion had been telling the truth, it had to be someone else that knew him – possibly another person from work? Maybe someone from Twilight Town where he'd grown up? Perhaps the school-yard bully, Seifer, had finally snapped…

He couldn't make heads or tails of it, and it was giving him a headache. Even if there was another person involved here, the ultimate question still remained – _why?_ Why would someone do all of this in the first place? If Saix believed that it wasn't all orchestrated to force him to leave his job or to put him in the ground, then what was this person supposedly after? What did they hope to gain from making Roxas feel terrified and helpless?

He pulled his car into the underground carpark of Axel's apartment building and tiredly made his way over to the elevator. It was a Friday and he'd knocked off work early to go and meet the detective, but now he really didn't need these messy thoughts following him into the weekend.

Axel wasn't home as of yet when Roxas pulled the entryway door open and hastily kicked off his shoes. The suit jacket was next to go, flung onto the dining room table as he set his laptop bag down on the breakfast bar in the kitchen and quickly found himself a beer.

He chugged the cool, refreshing liquid down like it would be his last. He set the bottle down onto the kitchen bench with a small exhalation and looked around the apartment. Just by being here, he was already feeling a lot better.

He sighed again heavily and let the tension rush out of him. No, as far as Roxas was concerned, the detective was reading into it a little too much. The case was solved, the stalking was over. Roxas could finally move forward with his life and anticipate a great future in Hollow Bastion with Axel by his side. He supposed he had Zexion to thank for that at least. All this drama had managed to bring him and his best friend together. Who knew if their romance would've transpired if they hadn't had to deal with such an abnormal situation?

Roxas was taking another long drink from his beer when he heard the entryway door open and close.

"Honey, I'm home!" Axel called in a high falsetto.

Roxas grinned, but stayed silent. God, he loved this man.

Axel turned the corner heading into the kitchen and grinned happily on seeing Roxas leaning there. "I was hoping you'd be naked at the door," he leered at Roxas, pulling him into his arms.

Roxas snorted. "Only in your dreams," he laughed, stretching up slightly to meet Axel's lips halfway. Roxas closed his eyes and moaned softly as Axel's tongue slid slowly along the seam of his lips and dipped in. Axel's large hands massaged warmly up and down his back. They kissed for long minutes, Roxas allowing himself to get completely lost in it. Axel's smell and taste was like a drug to his weary senses.

They pulled apart slowly, Axel opening hazy, emerald eyes to gaze lovingly into Roxas' own dreamy ones. Sometime amongst all their kissing, Roxas had ended up sitting on the kitchen bench, Axel standing close between his legs.

"I was thinking of taking you out tonight. Maybe Italian?" Axel murmured softly, his lips slowly kissing down Roxas' neck. Roxas moved his head to the side, happy to give his lover more access.

"Sounds perfect," he breathily answered, Axel sucking sensuously at the soft skin behind his ear. "If you think we'll manage leaving the apartment."

Axel laughed and pulled Roxas fully against him. He rested his chin on Roxas' shoulder as Roxas in turn loosely wrapped his arms around Axel's waist. "Hmm, good point. We might have to order in."

Roxas was already hard and wanting by the time Axel started unbuckling his belt, and slowly pulled down the zipper of his pants.

Roxas buried both hands into Axel's wild hair and threw his head back with a moan of abandon. Why was Axel so good with his tongue? His mind was turning to mush, Axel once again sucking Roxas' cock deep within his mouth, his fingers rolling Roxas' balls gently.

How could he have ever doubted this man? Who gave just as well as he got, who was the most perfect lover, the most charming, and funny, and loving person, Roxas had ever met. The greatest friend he'd ever had.

Axel wiggled his tongue into Roxas' slit while one of his hands busied itself opening his own pants and freeing his erection. Panting and gasping Roxas grasped wildly for the little glass bottle of olive oil that was sitting beside the cooktop. Axel immediately understood what he was getting at.

"I hate the smell of that," Axel murmured, but took the offered bottle anyway. Roxas slid off the kitchen bench, turned around and leaned over it. Axel moved closer still and slowly rubbed his cock back and forth between Roxas' ass cheeks.

"Don't smell it, just get inside me already," Roxas gasped, trembling with anticipation. Axel groaned and obediently poured some of the oil into the palm of his hand. He slicked his cock and fingers before grabbing one of Roxas' hips to steady himself and plunged two digits in.

Roxas loved Axel fucking him with his fingers. He pushed back in time with Axel's thrusts, his long fingers rubbing slowly over Roxas' prostate with every plunge.

" _Ahhh…"_ Axel was taking it tortuously slow, and Roxas couldn't hold out much longer. He heard Axel's pants fall to the floor and felt the hot touch at his entrance he was so desperately longing for.

"You're perfect like this," Axel murmured into his ear. He pushed forward with one continuous smooth movement, pulling Roxas' back to meet his straining erection. "With my cock deep inside of you."

Axel slowly rotated his hips and Roxas was gone. The dirty talk and the assault to his prostrate threw him over the line. He couldn't even think of holding out, his body desperate for release. He pumped his cock once and squeezed around his head as Axel slowly slid out and slammed back into him, and the fire raced through his veins. There were stars behind his eyes as he shot his release all over the kitchen cupboards in front of him, Axel gripping his hips tight and pulling him back, again and again. Their heavy breathing and the slap of skin against skin echoing through the apartment.

Roxas, sated and sprawled over the kitchen bench tried to catch his breath and find some semblance of coherency; Axel moaning his name and still fucking him hard and fast, just perfect for that lingering, after-work tension.

Roxas hazily wondered if they would be able to go out for dinner. He wasn't satisfied yet, and he knew without a doubt, that Axel could never get enough.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** The final chapter! Thank you again to everyone who has enjoyed reading this, it was a lot of fun to write :)

Ask yourself - What would you do if you ever found yourself in Roxas' situation?

* * *

 **Chapter Ten.**

 **Three Months Later.**

Life was perfect. Roxas couldn't remember a time in his life where he'd been happier. He hummed along to some crappy song stuck in his head that he'd heard on the radio earlier that morning and stirred at the fettuccini cooking on the stove top.

He'd been living with Axel for a little over three months now and, not to be overly corny or anything – but it had been like wedded bliss. Loving a man like his best friend was so easy, so uncomplicated and electrifying. It had been three months of nights full of restful sleep, instead of endless phone calls and anxiety attacks. Zexion had been sentenced to just three years behind bars, but Roxas wasn't complaining. The harassment had stopped, and he felt safe and content in the knowledge that Zexion would never bother him again. Roxas now had Axel with him, keeping him confident and reassured that he would always be protected.

Roxas had gotten home before Axel, as per usual, and it was his turn to cook for the night. Axel had dragged himself in half an hour later and had immediately gone to sooth his weary muscles with a long, hot shower.

Roxas added the chopped mushrooms to the creamy pasta sauce he was making and turned his attentions to the lemon sitting on the bench waiting to be zested. He could hear the shower running down the hall, and couldn't help imagining that hot water sluicing erotically down Axel's naked body. He groaned with barely restrained want as he began searching the kitchen's cupboards, looking for a lemon zester. If he didn't have to watch the pasta sauce from burning, he'd be joining Axel in that shower in less than two seconds flat.

He fruitlessly rifled through Axel's kitchen drawers. Surely the man owned a lemon zester. No matter how obscure the cooking utensil was, it was just one of those things that you bought at least once for a fancy dish that you were trying your hand at, but then predictably never attempted making again. There had to be one somewhere.

He was searching through the fourth drawer down from the top when he shifted aside some bulky operating manuals for the microwave and dishwasher when his fingers uncovered an old, chunky phone.

Roxas pulled the phone out of the drawer, realising that it was Axel's work phone – an older model Samsung without a touch screen. Practically ancient, he mused, turning the phone over in his hands. He idly wondered why Axel was no longer using it. Wasn't it supposed to be for work?

He pressed the power on button and watched the screen light up. He'd turn it on and leave it on the kitchen bench. Maybe Axel had forgotten where he'd put it.

-0-

Axel groaned contentedly as he massaged soap into his aching shoulder blades. It'd been a long day at the office, dealing with grumpy ass clients, and he'd nearly crashed his car on the way home, desperately eager to just rest his weary eyes on his gorgeous, blond, bombshell of a boyfriend.

Axel idly thought Roxas looked good wearing a cooking apron – looked even better out of them as well of course, but there was just something so perfect about coming home and finding the love of his life looking happy and content, humming softly in his kitchen.

 _Our kitchen,_ he should really say, since as far as he was concerned, Roxas wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon.

He recalled the day he'd met Roxas with flawless accuracy. He'd been caught by the shorter man's eyes on first sight, the bluest blue he'd ever had the pleasure of falling into, and as soon as he'd shaken Roxas' hand it was like an electric current had flowed through his veins. A voice in the back of his head had all but screamed at him – _"It's him! Don't lose him again!"_ He hadn't understood right away, but somehow his subconscious had just known that Roxas was his soul mate, and his life would never – _could never_ be complete without him.

Axel had become completely infatuated. He'd broken up with Xion, his girlfriend of two years without a moment's thought and spent many restless nights, tossing and turning as his mind assaulted him with visions and dreams of Roxas, Roxas, _Roxas_. As their friendship had progressed and deepened, Axel had begun to notice that heated flicker deep within Roxas' sky-blue eyes. He knew Roxas had developed romantic feelings towards him, and was desperately overjoyed that his love could feel the same way, but he knew straight away that it wouldn't be enough.

He wanted Roxas to only look at him, need only him; never even contemplate being with anyone else, but him. Anything short of this was completely unacceptable.

He eventually devised a clever plan that would make Roxas come to him willingly, like a lamb to the slaughter. By the time Axel was done with him, Roxas would be completely and unquestionably his, and never, _ever_ consider leaving him. Roxas would _need_ Axel – he wouldn't be able to live without him, and that's exactly what Axel needed, too.

He thought back to one of his most favourite memories – standing over Roxas while he slept soundly, looking for all the world so vulnerable and unaware. When Roxas had woken up while Axel was still in his bedroom, hiding behind Roxas' open wardrobe door, he'd felt thrilled – dizzy with the thought of being caught and having to overpower him. He'd fantasized about covering Roxas' mouth with his own and swallowing his muted screams, and tasting his fear. He'd entertained the idea of tying Roxas' wrists and gagging him, before plunging deep between his legs, taking his pleasure by force. His obsession personified would be utterly helpless – writhing and moaning beneath him.

As much as he'd wanted to, and _oh, God_ had he wanted to, Axel knew that it would have been fruitless in the long run. So he'd been patient and it had all paid off spectacularly.

So, threatening to kill Zexion's mother had been a bit over the top, but it had been a necessary evil. He'd also had to clean up his loose ends and risk being seen stealing Zexion's computer. He felt no remorse for putting the innocent man in prison. As far as he was concerned Zexion had finally gotten what he deserved.

Zexion had previously worked for Axel's father, and it was only after his father's company had gone bankrupt and folded, did they find out that someone had been stealing tens of thousands of dollars from them. Zexion had covered his tracks well, using overseas bank accounts, but Axel just _knew_ he was the one behind it all. It was all but confirmed when Zexion started responding perfectly to the blackmail and began following Axel's instructions to a T. Now the man would be losing his mind in prison while his poor, old, sick mother died in a nursing home.

On the day the bank took their house as collateral, Axel's mother had come home to find his father hanging from the metal beams in the garage. So now, Zexion's mother would die in despair as well, just like Axel's father had.

Axel massaged the shampoo out of his hair and grinned wickedly. He almost couldn't wait for Zexion to get out of prison. He had to pay the man back tenfold for leaving those purple, finger-shaped bruises around Roxas' perfect, slender neck. That had not been a part of the plan _at all._

Axel watched the last of the soap suds slide down the drain beneath his feet and let out a long, contented sigh. He'd just gotten hungry. He couldn't wait to taste what Roxas had made for him.

-0-

Roxas tried to will his hands to stop shaking.

Within seconds of the old Samsung powering on, the inbox had been flooded with messages.

None of them were addressed to Axel.

Roxas' eyes flew over so many words, his mind trying to process the simple sentences displayed before him, such as 'Zexion where are you?' or, 'Hey Zexy! You coming out tonight?' and even a few 'I'm begging you, please give my phone back'. None of it was making sense, but then at the same time it was. His heart already knew it, too. It was beating so hard it was hurting him; his entire body had broken out in a cold sweat. This couldn't be happening.

"No…." He whispered, his thumb shakily bringing up the mobile's call history and scrolling down, down, down, and he was still unbelievingly surprised to find all the numbers dialled were his. His desk phone at work, his landline at home, and the most frequently, his mobile.

" _No…!"_ Roxas groaned, louder this time, little snippets of conversations and incidences in the past few months springing unbidden to his mind.

" _Zexion Turner has been caught on several surveillance cameras utilizing various public telephones around the city."_ Officer Lexaeus was saying, Zexion's fevered words racing through Roxas' mind straight after – _"I didn't have a choice, alright? Someone has been blackmailing me since the beginning of May!"_

It was like all the missing pieces were falling into place.

Zexion's terrified expression as he begged someone over the phone. _"Please – not my mother…"_ His mother hadn't taken a turn for the worse like Roxas had originally thought – the man was being threatened. _"Please – I can't –!"_ – and given further instructions – all orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. The promotion story was a complete lie – everything fabricated.

" _I've already told you what you wanted to hear, isn't it enough?"_ Zexion's agitation and weariness at the endless questions that he had no hope in answering without exposing his lies. He hadn't known how he'd gotten into Roxas' place, because he'd never even been there in the first place. Roxas only realised now that Zexion's responses had sounded so awkward – robotic sounding and rehearsed.

And Zexion's Samsung C52-12 _…_

" _That phone was stolen from me nearly five months ago now. That's why I purchased a new one."_

Roxas was holding it in his hands.

Down the hallway from the kitchen, Roxas just made out the sounds of the running shower coming to a stop. He felt like someone had shoved hot needles underneath his skin, his lungs pulling in sharp, short breaths.

His shaking fingers flew over the buttons of Zexion's mobile as he quickly deleted every message that had been received since he'd turned the device back on. He fumbled with the power button making sure it was turned off before hastily shoving it back into the drawer he'd found it.

Detective Saix' intense stare bored into him. _"…the hallmarks of someone who has possessive and manipulative tendencies. You would have been unknowingly manipulated for months with the assailant keeping close to you..."_

Roxas choked back a sob as he pictured Axel's worried expression all those months ago. He'd been so warm and sincere. _"It's going to be okay, Roxas, I promise,"_ his tormentor had breathed. _"I'll always be here to protect you."_

There had never been any forced entry into Roxas' house because Axel had had a house key. He'd changed his locks after the first incident, _but he'd given Axel a new set._

Everything Axel ever said to him now held new meaning. _"The only way to understand a crazy person is to be one yourself."_

Roxas stumbled his way over to the fridge, wreathing the door open and snatching out the bottle of white wine he'd bought to have with the pasta. He frantically poured himself a glass and threw it back, downing it in seconds. Some of the cool, pale liquid dribbled down his chin. He set down the glass and immediately poured himself another.

" _You drive me a little bit crazy,"_ Axel had whispered sensuously against his lips, and how true Roxas now knew those words to be. The man he'd trusted, the man he _loved_ with all his heart – his best friend and his perfect lover – was a _monster_.

Roxas kept very still as Axel came up behind him and slid his large hands around his waist. His stalker pulled him in closer against his chest. Roxas could feel Axel's body heat seeping through the thin cotton of his work shirt.

"Hey, are you starting without me?" Axel teased. His hands roamed over Roxas' chest slowly as he placed a chaste kiss behind his ear.

Roxas remained silent and methodically finished his third glass of wine. The bottle was near empty. He forced himself to relax further into Axel's embrace and set the wine glass down carefully on the kitchen bench. For a brief, insane moment he wondered if his pasta sauce was burning.

"You okay, Rox?" Axel murmured, giving him a light squeeze.

Roxas laughed softly and slowly turned in Axel's arms. He didn't answer right away, but gazed up into his lover's piercing emerald eyes. He searched their depths, looking for answers he'd never know.

" _This person never intended to kill you, or run you out of your job. They wanted to ensnare you in a beautifully constructed cage."_

He buried his face in Axel's chest, breathing in deep. Axel smelled like red amber and spice. So familiar and comforting.

He loved this man.

Roxas could already feel the alcohol thrumming along his veins as he slowly looked back up into Axel's questioning eyes.

"Yeah…I'm good," he replied, one of his hands sliding into Axel's vibrant, red hair and pulling him down for a kiss.

Roxas closed his eyes, as Axel deepened the kiss a moment later, his large hands sliding possessively up and down Roxas' spine, and over the planes of his back.

Everything was going to be alright.

Roxas knew Axel would never hurt him...

… _Right?_


End file.
